There are dozens of Google apps available on the iPhone and iPad. In fact, if you want you can use an app from Google on your iPhone for every function. But one thing the apps have in common: they use the recognizable Google style that is visibly different from Apple's. As a result, the apps do not always feel completely ‘native’ and to match the rest of the apps on the iPhone and iPad. That will change in the near future, according to Jeff Verkoeyen, engineer at Google Design for Apple systems.
Google apps will be better on iPhone in the future
The current Google apps have more of the Android look than iOS in terms of style. You can see this, for example, in the service, where the hamburger menu is a good example. While this is a common layout on Android, on iOS the button bar at the bottom is much more the default. And also in appearance the two clearly differ from each other. Google would have chosen this because UIKit (Apple's own framework for building apps) dropped a few stitches. Ultimately, the design that Google uses for its iOS apps was summarized under the heading Material Components for iOS (MDC). As a result, apps got the typical Google look and were also comparable to the Android variants, but the team has now decided to move away from this idea.
Typical Google design in a current app
The elements that Google uses for its iOS apps moved further and further away from the principles of iOS, explains Jeff Verkoeyen. Every year, Apple innovates with major iOS updates, both in style and in operation. For example, titles got bigger, Haptic Touch made its appearance and much more. According to Verkoeyen, UIKit has now evolved so far that their own MDC system is no longer necessary. Google will soon be using the basics of UIKit, such as the standard switches in iOS, combined with the best of Google's own design.
All in all, Google's own apps should therefore focus more on their own design. feel a place on the iPhone and iPad. The decision for this switch was made earlier this year and you should start to notice the change in the near future. Would you like to use more of Google's apps if they work more like the other apps on your iPhone or iPad?