Honestly, it was only a matter of time before the "sparkle" went full Google.
If you’ve looked at your phone recently and thought you misclicked on a Google Photos icon or a weirdly shaped Gmail shortcut, you aren't alone. The Google Gemini new icon update is officially here, and it has ditched the moody purples and blues for the classic, unavoidable rainbow gradient.
It's a huge shift. For months, Gemini felt like this experimental "other" thing living on our home screens—a separate entity from the Search and Drive ecosystem we've used for a decade. Now? It’s clearly part of the family. Google is basically saying that AI isn't a side project anymore. It’s the main event.
What actually changed in the Google Gemini new icon update?
Design-wise, this isn't just a color swap. The old icon was a sharp, four-pointed star (technically a "sparkle" or "glimmer") that looked a bit like something out of a sci-fi movie. It used a specific palette of violet and deep blue that Google inherited from the early Bard days.
The new version? It's much softer.
- The Colors: The icon now uses the signature Google four-color palette—red, yellow, green, and blue. But instead of the hard, blocky segments you see in the old Google "G," these colors flow into each other with a smooth gradient.
- The Shape: The points of the star have been rounded off. If you squint, it looks less like a star and more like a friendly, organic shape.
- The Logic: At small sizes—like when it's buried in an app folder—the old icon's thin points tended to disappear or look blurry. The new, "chunkier" design stays crisp even on low-resolution screens.
It’s interesting because Google also quietly updated its main "G" logo around the same time. Everything is moving toward this "gradient" look. It suggests that Google views its services not as separate boxes, but as things that flow into one another.
More than just a logo: The new Android widget
If you're on Android, the Google Gemini new icon update came with some actual utility, not just a fresh coat of paint. The home screen widget got a massive overhaul.
The most obvious addition is the dedicated shortcuts for Gemini Live. Depending on your widget size, you'll now see buttons for Video and Screenshare. These aren't just for show; they launch you directly into the multimodal modes where Gemini can "see" what your camera sees or "read" what's on your display.
Interestingly, Google also removed the "Dynamic Color" background from the search bar in the widget. It’s now just a clean, simple bar. It feels faster. It feels less cluttered. It feels like Google wants you to stop searching and start "Gemini-ing."
👉 See also: iPhone Home Screen Ideas: Why Your Setup Feels Cluttered and How to Fix It
Why did Google do this now?
Rebranding twice in less than a year (remember when it was Bard?) is usually a sign of a company in a panic. But this feels different. It feels like a "coming of age" for the product.
By aligning Gemini with the core Google colors, they’re solving a huge branding problem. Most "normal" people—not the tech-obsessed folks—didn't know what that purple star was. By making it look like Chrome or Drive, Google is leveraging the trust people already have in the brand.
There's also the competition. With OpenAI and Apple Intelligence breathing down their necks, Google needs Gemini to feel like an essential part of the OS, not a third-party app you downloaded on a whim.
The iOS vs. Android rollout drama
In a weird twist, the Google Gemini new icon update didn't hit everyone at once, and for a minute, iPhone users actually got a "better" version.
While Android users were getting the new widget, iOS users got a "Search Conversations" feature first. This lets you actually dig through your old chats with the AI to find that one recipe or travel itinerary you generated three weeks ago. It was a rare moment where Google prioritized the iPhone experience, likely to keep users from drifting toward the Siri-integrated version of ChatGPT.
Is the web version updated yet?
As of right now, the rollout is a bit of a mess across platforms.
- Android: Widely available in the latest app versions (1.0.776555963 and up).
- iOS: Mostly updated, usually accompanied by the conversation search feature.
- Web (gemini.google.com): Still lagging behind in some regions, showing the old blue/purple sparkle favicon.
- Social Media: Google has already swapped the profile pictures on X and Instagram to the new rainbow star.
How to get the new icon if you don't have it
If your phone still has the purple star, don't worry. You don't need to do anything hacky.
First, head to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and check for updates to the Google app and the Gemini app. Often, the icon change is tied to the main Google app version, specifically version 16.18 or later on Android.
If it's still not changing, try clearing your launcher's cache or just restarting your phone. Sometimes the system holds onto the old icon image even after the app itself has updated.
The verdict: Does it actually matter?
Look, at the end of the day, it's an icon. It won't make the AI hallucinate less or write better code. But the Google Gemini new icon update tells us a lot about where Google is headed.
They are betting the entire house on Gemini. They want it to be as synonymous with their brand as "Search" has been for twenty years. By putting it in the four-color "uniform," Gemini has officially graduated from a lab experiment to a flagship product.
Next time you're looking for that purple star and can't find it, just look for the rainbow. It’s probably sitting right there, blending in with the rest of your Google folder.
Actionable Steps to Take Now
- Check your version: Ensure you're on at least version 1.0.77 of the Gemini app to see the new widget shortcuts.
- Customize your widget: Long-press the Gemini widget on Android to resize it; the new Video and Screenshare buttons only appear on larger configurations (3x3 or higher).
- Search your history: If you're on iOS, tap the chat icon in the top-left to try the new conversation search—it’s a lifesaver for finding old prompts.
- Look for the gradient: Keep an eye out for similar updates in Gmail and Drive; the "gradient-ification" of the entire Google ecosystem is expected to continue throughout the year.