Apps

New Google app icons rumored to be on the way (and someone’s already recreated them)

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It appears Google could be readying upgrades to their mobile apps to bring us a fresh set of icons for their services. The original story talks of a project “Moonshine,” which would simply bring updated app icons for various Google apps.

Whether these icons are used on the web, on Android or both is something yet to be determined, but here they are in all their leaked glory:

moonshine icon comparison

The supposed changes offer a more flat style than we’re used to, which is an element of design that’s certain to get more popular with Apple’s latest changes in iOS 7. The icons aren’t so dramatically different that they’re unrecognizable, but they’re different enough that people using their phones every day will take notice.

Whether it’s pleasing to your eye is up to you. When should we expect them? Not sure, though we’d bet a bit of money that Google would make the change whenever they bring their redesigned Android apps we’ve been hearing about lately.

And here’s a fun little corkscrew to all of this for you icon pack makers: someone has already recreated these rumored icons in vector format, giving you high-quality versions of them that you can use for whatever you see fit.

The files are offered up in Adobe Illustrator format, so it’s going to take a tad bit of elbow grease to get them up and running in an icon pack. It’s just too bad Android doesn’t have built-in support for changing icons (though there are a few custom launchers out there that are up to the task). Let us know if any of you handy developers or themers do something with the icons below!

[via Reddit]

Quentyn Kennemer
The "Google Phone" sounded too awesome to pass up, so I bought a G1. The rest is history. And yes, I know my name isn't Wilson.

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27 Comments

  1. Well that’s pretty lame. I am not a fan of square icons, in fact i have mostly changed any square icons on my home screen. Square = Boring.

    1. Then why are the new icons lame? Not a single one of them is square. Only the gmail one even comes close. I’m pretty sure the white and striped backgrounds are just a lack of the background being cropped out in the screenshot

      1. Yeah, no alpha channel, that’s all it is :p

      2. Well if that is the case then that is fine. To me it looked like they are going after the apple look. Cant imagine it would have taken any time to remove the background, hell my seven year old son could have done it for them. Alas.

        1. Yeah I would have hated it too if they went for an apple look…

  2. looks hideous…..mAps seems twice the size of uTuB

  3. Why is everything going into a box shape, pretty soon we wont be able to see our backgrounds anymore

    1. None of these icons are square. There’s just no alpha channel on those since they were screen clips.

  4. The source link should be included at the bottom, IMO, not just in the article. I was halfway through writing a rant about proper attribution, lol (no offense intended).

    http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/04/14/rumor-googles-android-app-icons-to-get-a-moonshine-makeover/

    1. Now that Calendar app I can live with.

      Actually, if the apps’ icons come out looking like that, that’ll be cool. I kinda like the pixelated design.

  5. So they’re going to go ahead and continue not to standardize design between the web and Android? Yay…

    I do like a few of them better than the current design on Android though.

    1. According to rumor they’re going to be updating the Web apps to match

  6. The map icon looks freakishly huge

  7. With just one or two exceptions (Gmail, maybe Calendar), I prefer the current Android ones to either of the other 2 options presented for each app.

  8. They should make the stock launcher compatible with icon packs.

  9. Ew. They should choose something else or leave them be. Oh well. Won’t matter to me as I change my icons a lot.

  10. I don’t like how everything will be in a little box. I like how Androids’ apps are always unique in design.

    I hope this doesn’t come to fruition.

  11. Google getting their “Windows 8 ugly” on!

  12. Delete me. Found the source link below

  13. Hi Quentyn Kennemer,
    I am agree with you, this is rumor. Some people are not happy with Google products
    so they are posting fake news in the network. Thank to share this news to with
    us.

  14. some of them look better, but I prefer the current google maps/play store

  15. Most of the changes are quite minor and Iliek don’t mind them but the calendar being brought in-line with the desktop it fantastic, it seems to be the one icon I find it hard to spot and I put this down to the current ones being too different from one another.

  16. It looks like they are proposing to make the Android icons more streamlined with the Web icons, therefore creating a more consistent experience.

  17. The current icons are better imo.

  18. why are all the new icons on top of a square background? or is that square part of the new icon? if so, then those box icons look worse than the current ones……… I like the youtube icon without a square behind it.

  19. The middle I icons look the best; professional, not amateur-looking.

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