The app icons we use daily significantly contribute to making the Material You design, which has become a pillar of Android’s identity, feel meaningful. Although it may be difficult to believe, Google is still adding relevant modern icons to its Android apps. The few remaining stragglers, such as Google Play Books, are finally beginning to adopt new app icons.
We saw the new Google Play Books icon at the beginning of last month. This change is now being made available to all users of the app through the Google Play Store with version 2023.5.30.0.1. As noted by 9to5Google, new icon may also be seen as the website favicon on play.google.com/books.
The triangle is still in the new pattern, but the corners have been forcefully rounded off. Only the ribbon-like bookmark pattern in a lighter shade of blue remains from the old icon’s representation of a book. We are delighted to announce that unlike with Gmail and other programs like Google Arts & Culture, Google did not go all out with its four-color icon style this time. Play Books’ recognizable blue color makes it easy to recognize them, while the new icon differs from the old one just enough.
It’s interesting to note that the Play Books symbol completely changes shape when dynamic theming for app icons is activated on our Pixel phones. The most recent update just applies dynamic theme colors to the new icon for a more uniform appearance, in contrast to earlier versions of the app which displayed a rectangular book-like shape that was entirely distinct from the basic icon. The blue icon will still be present in the app drawer because theming does not apply there.
The overall design of the icon chosen by Google is justifiable because it still adheres to the Play branding used for Google’s digital stores and because the app includes playable audiobooks. The fact that Google isn’t altering the app’s primary goal is a good thing. After Google Lens, Play Games, and Authenticator, Play Books is one of the last few apps to receive a Material You symbol.
The Play Store listing for the updated version of the app with the new icon has been updated by Google, however the rollout of the updated version of the app appears to be happening in stages. If you use Play Books frequently, you might want to install the most recent version from APKMirror.
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