What you need to know
- A recent Google Keep version shows the company’s plans to introduce a revamped toolbar to the app.
- The floating, pill-shaped toolbar takes up less space and offers users three options: create a note, a list, and a drawing or picture note.
- While the new toolbar takes up much less space, it will also remove a couple of options.
Google’s notetaking app, Keep, has started a test involving a redesigned bottom bar for users.
As detailed by AssembleDeBug (TheSpAndroid), Google is seemingly dropping the bottom UI toolbar in Keep in favor of a floating, pill-shaped alternative (via 9to5Google). The latest test was discovered in Keep’s recent 5.24.102 version. Surfacing the bar in Keep’s code on Android showcased the new bar’s three options: open a new note, create a list, and create a drawing or picture note.
This toolbar supposedly utilizes your Android phone’s Dynamic Theme, meaning it will feature your desired color palette. The deep dive also showed that the plus icon for starting a new note features a neat animation when tapped.
While the new bar could be seen as a way of taking up less space on your display, Google has removed a couple of options alongside that. AssembleDeBug noted that the floating bar no longer contains options for voice notes, nor is there a dedicated photo button.
It’s speculated that Google has popped both options inside the additional options menu (plus icon) when in a newly created note. The pill-shaped bar notably affects Keep in Landscape mode, as the test shows users should experience more content and less toolbar obstruction
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Google went down a similar road with its messaging app Chat last November. The company rolled out a UI redesign for the app, revamping it with a floating, pill-shaped toolbar with several shortcuts. Users were able to quickly dive into their home panel, direct messages, spaces, and mentions.
Meanwhile, this is the second test Google has been spotted working on for Keep in recent times, with the first involving AI. In February, the company started a test to bring Gemini-powered features to Keep in the form of a “Help me create a list” feature. Similar to “Help me write,” Keep’s version is said to assist users in creating lists for shopping, things to do, and packing.
The app’s code showed that users will eventually find a floating “help me create a list” button at the bottom of a new note. Users can then write a prompt detailing what they’d like the AI bot to do. While it was suggested that users give “more specifics” to help the AI, personal information should be kept out of it.
