Gmail's permanent switch, moving everyone to the new unified view, begins this month.
In a blog post published Tuesday, Google announced that it is removing the option to revert to its previous Gmail interface. So you have to get used to its vibrant and very blue interface. This includes Google Sans Text in Material Design 3 fonts.
Google calls the new layout of Gmail the "Unified" view. That's because the leftmost sidebar contains options for Mail, Chat, Spaces, and Meet. Hovering over these buttons reveals a small pop-out menu. Click to view the app in full screen.
You can disable "Meet & Chat" in the settings menu if the extra button is annoying. This eliminates the extra sidebar and leaves a simple screen dedicated to Gmail.
Google began testing this layout in February, but since then has been less gentle in recommending this option to users. The new layout he opted out of in July (i.e. replaced you by default). But now Google is poised to make this change permanent, along with some of the other overhauls already applied to other workspace apps like Docs, Calendar, and Sheets.
As someone who's been using the new layout for a while, I honestly can't imagine returning to the old one. It took a while to get used to, but it's much more modern and feels like old Gmail when you turn off the additional apps option.
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