Google's Material You marks one of the most substantial redesigns in Android's history. A significant aspect of this revamp centers around app widgets, dynamic colors, and motion fluidity. Beginning with Android 12, the Material You design prioritizes expression and fluidity within the Android OS. The objective is to empower users to craft and embrace a unified, tailored experience that suits their needs. 

Material You Redesign

Google has initiated the rollout of a streamlined Material You redesign for Play Books on Android. This update follows the introduction of a new icon in 2023, as the app has been experiencing infrequent updates. Despite introducing an interactive Material You widget in 2022, the remainder of Play Books was confined to the Google Material Theme.

The latest redesign is progressively rolling out with version 2024.2.9.0 on the Play Store. It introduces several UI changes to align Play Books with Google's Material You design:

1. A pill-shaped search bar
2. Material You bottom bar featuring pill-shaped tab indicators
3. An updated navigation rail on tablets and foldables
4. Rounded rectangle carousels in the Library tab
5. Pill-shaped buttons in the Shop

Old UI vs. New UI

With the Material You redesign, the search bar to a pill-shaped bar. Then, the Material You bottom bar is updated with a pill-shaped tab indicator. The height aligns with Google Home, Photos, and even Tasks, but it differs from others like Play Store or Gmail. Additionally, Google has revamped the navigation rail, introduced last year, on Android tablets and foldables to adhere to the Material 3 style.  

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Old UI vs. New UI

Within the Library tab, the carousels transition from pills to rounded rectangles, while various standalone buttons in the app undergo the opposite transformation. There is a noticeable dark theme mismatch for the background of the Your books/Shelves/Series/Upcoming tab.

The Wishlist and Shop tabs have undergone similar modernization. However, the reading view and settings have not been changed.

The update introduces essential visual consistency, although it is not flawless. Play Books lacks support for dynamic color theming, and a dark theme mismatch persists in the background of the Your books/Shelves/Series/Upcoming tab. The reading view and settings areas also retain their previous appearance without any alterations.

Elevating the Reading Experience

Google Play Books introduced significant improvements to its library management features last year, addressing the challenge users face when organizing extensive collections of e-books. The change allows readers to manage multiple books simultaneously, such as adding books to shelves, marking them as finished, or removing downloaded copies from the device.

Google also implemented various filtering options within the app. Users can filter books based on genre, author, reading age (especially for kids' books), and family library status. These filters provide a more efficient way for users to locate specific books that match their preferences.

A notable addition to the app is a new section dedicated to 'unshelved' books - those that have not been assigned to any particular shelf. This feature streamlines the organization process, allowing users to categorize reading materials quickly.

Overall, these updates aim to enhance the usability of Google Play Books for users with extensive e-book collections, providing more efficient ways to manage and access their digital libraries.

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