Google is quietly reworking Gemini’s sidebar and testing a new overlay animation

The Google Gemini app is testing a new way to start new chats from the sidebar, making it better suited for one-handed use. Currently, starting a new chat from the Gemini sidebar requires users to reach all the way to the top of the screen, but a future update could change that.

In version 17.73.15 of the Google app, we’ve activated a design tweak that rearranges some of the options in the Gemini sidebar, including the New chat (or Chat) button, which could move to the bottom right for easier access during one-handed use.

As the screenshots above show, this redesign removes the account switcher altogether, with the settings icon moving to the bottom left of the sidebar.

Removing the account switcher from its position isn’t a major regression, since it’s already accessible from the Gemini app’s home page, albeit at the top right. However, moving the settings option across could take some time to get used to.

Next up, we’re seeing a brand-new Gemini overlay animation that varies slightly from the existing version. You can check it out in the video below.

Right now, triggering the Gemini overlay displays a prominent dot-like pattern across the bottom of the screen. In this revision, we’re seeing a longer animation that starts with the familiar dots and ends with a glow across the bottom edges of the screen.

Not to be left behind, the Google app is also getting some love, particularly the upcoming You tab. While this tab isn’t official yet, we recently uncovered some evidence suggesting it could replace the Activity tab.

In our brief time testing the You tab, we found sections titled Saves & collections, Lens searches, and Song searches. We’re now seeing another section called Shortcuts at the bottom of the page, with options to check your search history and erase the last 30 minutes of history.

There’s still no info on where the Activity tab’s AI Mode history will fit, but we expect future iterations of this under-development You tab to shed more light on that aspect.

As with most early feature discoveries, we can’t say when (or if) these changes will roll out across both apps, though we’d certainly like to see them implemented.