Gmail redesigned

 Gmail redesign introduces a chat-style UI for replying to emails

After introducing emoji reactions and tweaking the search bar, a bigger Gmail update introduces a chat-style reply UI on Android. Most people today reply to emails after scrolling to the bottom. You get options for Reply, Reply all, and Forward, as well as the new emoji reactions. (You can also reply from the top of the email.)

Gmail (via Android Police) is now testing a Reply field that sticks to the bottom — in a nice time saver — of the screen. This text box looks a lot like Google Chat with a pill-shaped container flanked by buttons for attaching media and emoji. The box lets you select a reply type, as well as edit who you’re sending to, at the left, while you can expand to the current full screen UI on the other end. 

Old vs New

Tapping opens a keyboard and slides up the reply field with a send button appearing at the right. You can write your reply and still see the email body to preserve context, which is the most meaningful change. It’s not clear where Quick Replies live in this UI. 

This Gmail redesign is a pretty big change, especially for an app that doesn’t see that many, if Google decides to proceed. It’s not yet widely rolled out at this point and not appearing on several devices. It follows work on a voice compose UI that should be aligned with Duet AI.