Gmail for Android bug makes the Material You widget smaller

September 20, 2022

2 min read

Google wants to better optimize first-party Android widgets for tablets, but in the meantime an update to the Gmail widget has made everything smaller.

Version 2022.08.21.x is widely rolling out today and removes much of the padding within each card of mail. This has the side effect of making text look smaller, though the per line gains are minimal.

Meanwhile, all elements are now squished together, including the archive button at the right.

If there’s one upside, you now get to see more emails per screen. It’s five versus eight in one example below. Meanwhile, on tablets, the bottom bar with shortcuts to open Chat, Spaces, and Meets have disappeared if the widget isn’t tall enough.

This is most likely a big as it hinders readability, though people that think Material You introduced too much padding might end up liking the new look.

The Gmail update that made the widget smaller started rolling out last week, but it’s seeing a wider availability via the Play Store this afternoon. It will presumably be resolved with the next patch release.