Google Chat rolls out new logo, updated Themed and status bar icons

Abner Li | Dec 6 2023 - 4:39 pm PT

The new logo for Google Chat that was announced in November is currently rolling out on Android.

Google Chat now has a logo that makes it look like every other Workspace app. Green is still the predominant color in a possible nod to Hangouts. That’s followed by blue and yellow, as well as a tiny smidge/triangle of red in the top-right corner.

I personally wouldn’t confuse it for Google Meet, though the tail of the speech bubble does somewhat look like a handle on an old camcorder, but my complaint is its literal alignment. When placed in a circle, the icon is too high up because Google centered the entire icon, including the tail, instead of just the rectangular body.

Google has also updated the status bar icon in a nice change (as the old one tried to pack in too much detail in a small space) with version 2023.11.26.x. Meanwhile, the Themed icon makes use of very thick outlines compared to other Workspace apps.

Meanwhile, updates to search continue with a results page that will highlight keywords, including exact matches and terms related to your query. There’s also now a “clear demarcation between results for easier browsing.”

Search results are based on the exact query, as well as any additional queries that might have been triggered (secondary query, synonyms, spell corrections, etc).

Google Chat is also rolling out the ability to mute. These conversations will not send push notifications or appear in Home. They will also be “visually deprioritized by being moved to the bottom of each conversation section.” You will still get notifications “when there are new @ mentions for you or everyone in the conversation.”

Click on the three dot menu in the left hand panel of any conversation > Select mute option
Alternatively open the notification setting of any conversation and check the mute option

Unmuting a conversation undoes the visual deprioritization applied to the conversation and the notification settings prior to muting will re-apply to the communication.