It’s been a while since the Google Play Store received a major UI refresh. The last major UI refresh came in 2019 when the app received a Material Theme redesign. Since then, aside from a few minor tweaks, the app has stuck with the same design. However, Google is now rolling out a new UI that gives the Play Store a major facelift.
The most noticeable change is the removal of the hamburger menu. This is part of Google's renewed focus on getting rid of navigation drawers, as they tend to conflict with full-screen navigation gestures. We've already seen Google remove the hamburger menu from Google Photos and Google Maps, and the Play Store is the latest to get rid of it.
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Moving on to other changes, you'll notice that everything has been moved to the profile section in the top right corner. If you have multiple accounts, they're now hidden under a drop-down menu. Under the account tab, we see things that were once under the "hamburger" menu. Library replaces Wishlist, while Payments and subscriptions are now together. Apps, games, Play Protect, Notifications, and offers and settings remain the same. Some users also see Play Pass and Play Points listed next to these options, but on our device they were missing.
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Finally, the settings are getting a makeover too. All the options and preferences have been divided into four collapsible categories. Previously, they were all in one huge list.
Google has been testing this change for quite some time now, and as part of that testing, some users already had this redesign available on their devices. However, Google is finally rolling out this UI to all users.
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The new UI is rolling out widely to Android users. If you don’t see it yet, try clearing the cache and closing the Play Store app. You can do this by going to Device Settings or by long-pressing the Play Store app icon and clicking on app settings. You should see a new UI when you reopen the app.
Information source: xda-developers.com
