Google Sheets gets a new icon (sort of): Mistake or due to feedback?

The entire Google Workspace family of apps got new icons in May. Three months later, the Google Sheets icon has been updated…

Google rotated the Sheets icon 180 degrees. That’s the change.  

As a result, the x- and y-axis indicators now appear in the top-left corner instead of the bottom-right. This better matches how Google Sheets actually looks. Additionally, the second sheet peeking out from behind the first is now on the right.

Old vs. new

When Google first released the icon, there was some discourse about things looking a bit off. The question today is whether Google made a mistake before launch by improperly rotating it. That seems unlikely to me given the thorough review process that everything undergoes before launch.

The other possibility is that public feedback led Google to recognize that the icon makes more sense rotated. If so, this was an easy fix, but it’s somewhat strange that this was the only change Google saw fit to make. 

This rotated icon is available with the latest version of Google Sheets for iOS. It’s not yet live on the web or the Android version.