The Google Docs app will receive several pleasant changes. It will not only make one-handed use easier

The Google Docs app is awaiting extensive user interface changes that should simplify both control and file searching. The editorial team of Android Authority managed to discover the upcoming new features during an analysis of version 1.25.381.00.90 of the Android app. In total, there are three fundamental adjustments that Google is testing before official release.

Smarter Search with New Filters

The first significant change concerns document search. Google is adding a trio of new filters that will refine searching in extensive file libraries. The Type filter will allow distinguishing between documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Using the People filter, you can find files by their owner or shared users. The third Modified filter will display documents modified in the last 7 days, 30 days, current year, or a custom time range.

The new filters will appear directly in the search interface and replace the current simple text bar. This change should significantly speed up work for users who manage dozens to hundreds of documents in their cloud storage, especially those with similar names.

Material 3 Expressive Will Transform the Floating Button

The second adjustment will bring a visual refresh in the form of the Material 3 Expressive design. The most significant change will affect the floating button for creating a new document. The plus icon will gain more prominent thickness, while options for a new document or file import will move into pill-shaped containers instead of the current rounded rectangles.

Furthermore, the icons for individual options will move directly inside the containers, creating a more compact and modern look. This is part of a broader redesign of Google applications, which is gradually introducing expressive elements of Material Design 3.

More Formatting Options Menu Is Moving

The third change will move the menu with extended formatting options from the top of the screen to the bottom bar. The current placement next to the content addition icon will be replaced by a position at the bottom of the display, which is more accessible for one-handed operation. The bottom bar will also gain a horizontal scrollbar, making functions previously hidden in the formatting menu quickly accessible.

In landscape mode or on tablets and foldable phones, the bar will display all options at once. In portrait mode on mobile phones, it will be necessary to scroll horizontally between individual tools. This change responds to the trend of larger displays, where the upper corners of the screen are not comfortably accessible.

Google has not yet announced when the new features will reach all users. Given that this is work-in-progress code in an APK file, the final form may undergo changes, or some elements may not appear at all.

Which of the upcoming changes do you like the most?

Source: Android Authority