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Signs of Google's refined new account switcher keep popping up in more and more apps (APK teardown)
- Google’s new account switcher still isn’t ready for Android apps, but it’s making progress.
- We can now activate the new switcher in the Google app, Calendar, Keep, and Maps.
Google operates on a timetable known only to itself. Sometimes it feels like projects have been imparted with unstoppable momentum, while other times development looks like it’s going so slowly you can hardly tell if an effort’s been abandoned or not. Today we’re checking back in on the progress Google’s been making with one upcoming change we’ve been tracking since this past summer.
An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
Back in late August, we discovered some evidence that Google was working to overhaul the look of its account switcher for Android apps, bringing the interface more in line with what we get on the web. Then a few weeks later, we managed to actually get the new UI showing up in Gmail. While the change still wasn’t public-facing anywhere, this felt like progress. Now, over two months later, we’re still waiting for Google to push any of this live, but at least we’re digging up more signs of progress, as a few more Google apps get ready for the switch.
We are cracking open a bunch of apps today, and for everyone keeping track we are looking at version 15.47.26.sa.arm64 beta of the main Google app, version 24.47.04.699095382 beta of Maps, version 2024.46.1-697566923-release of Calendar, and the 5.24.472.00.90 build of Google Keep. With all of these, we’re now able to manually access Google’s in-development account switcher. We’ve even got our first clip of it in action for you:
With some of these, like Google Maps and the Google app, we get additional menu elements for app features and settings — just as we have now, with the existing account switcher. Others look like they’re staying just as bare bones as they are now, like Calendar and Keep, both of which appear like the screen you see below to the far right.
We’re not exactly keeping a running list of Google apps we’ve spotted this change in just yet, but it sure feels like Google is gearing up to finish its efforts and presumably get this new interface deployed. It’s not like the company has to have them all ready to go at once before it starts flipping this on, but at this rate, it sure feels like nearly all of the company’s main Android apps will be ready soon.