While Google has generally been moving away from navigation drawers on Android, they still exist in several big apps. Navigation drawers definitely have their place, but there is a growing call for first-party applications to implement them in a much more consistent manner.
Material 3 and Design Consistency
With the introduction of Material 3, navigation drawers switched from square to rounded corners. However, several apps have not made that change, including Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Chat, and Gmail. This inconsistency can be jarring for users who expect a uniform experience across Google's suite of applications.
Moreover, there are three distinct ways that drawers interact with status and navigation bars. The stark difference between Gmail and Google Calendar is evident, while Drive, Meet, Voice, and Files avoid the system bars entirely. This lack of consistency can be confusing and detracts from the seamless user experience that Google aims to provide.
Active Indicators and Drawer Width
Almost every Google app now uses Material 3’s pill-shaped active indicators instead of the older rectangular ones. However, some apps like Google One and YouTube still cling to the M2 style, despite having other elements that align with Material 3. This mix-and-match approach can make the user interface feel disjointed.
Another point of contention is the width of the navigation drawers. In general, most are unnecessarily wide and obscure the background so much that not enough context is preserved. A more uniform width across all apps would not only look better but also enhance usability.
Recent Changes and Recommendations
Google Messages dropped its navigation drawer as part of a redesign in late 2023 after surprisingly adding it in early 2022. Everything has been moved to the account menu for a cleaner homescreen. Similarly, Google Contacts has switched to a series of filters and sheets, moving away from the traditional drawer.
Despite these changes, navigation drawers still have their place. Google recommends them for:
- Apps with 5 or more top-level destinations
- Apps with 2 or more levels of navigation hierarchy
- Quick navigation between unrelated destinations
The key to improving user experience lies in achieving consistency across all applications. By aligning all apps with Material 3 guidelines and standardizing elements like drawer width and active indicators, Google can create a more cohesive and intuitive user interface.
