# Google Messages redesigned UI with new iMessage-style pinned chats, Search, and Gemini *Published:* 2026-11-09 *Author:* Farzan Hussain ![Google Messages redesigned UI_Featured](https://bestforandroid.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/Google-Messages-redesigned-UI_Featured.png) - Pinned chats are transformed into large contact photos above the whole conversation list, pushing other chats down. - Search becomes a floating button beside “Start chat,” and Gemini moves to the top-right corner. - New layout shows no history or last-sent information, similar to that of iMessage. [Google](https://bestforandroid.com/tag/google/) is testing a redesigned [Google Messages](https://bestforandroid.com/tag/android-messages/) home screen UI for Android in its latest beta release, [9to5Google reported](https://9to5google.com/2026/11/07/google-messages-pinned-chats-redesign/). Pinned chats become large contact photos above the conversation list, search moves to a floating button beside Start chat, and Gemini shifts to the top corner. The layout shows no last message, which could frustrate heavy texters. One tester of the Google Messages beta says they [“absolutely love”](https://www.reddit.com/r/GoogleMessages/comments/1xpotji/new_pinned_messages_floating_search_bar_together/) the new home screen. Google is trying a redesign that lifts pinned chats above the whole conversation list as large contact photos, which then pushes all the other conversations down. > [New pinned messages & floating search bar together](https://www.reddit.com/r/GoogleMessages/comments/1xpotji/new_pinned_messages_floating_search_bar_together/) > by[u/iiDez](https://www.reddit.com/user/iiDez/) in[GoogleMessages](https://www.reddit.com/r/GoogleMessages/) Search, Gemini, and pinned chats all change places in the beta -------------------------------------------------------------- Since this is still in beta and Google hasn’t made any official announcement, we can only see the changes visible in the shared screenshots and preview. The design and how the placement of the buttons is shuffled, however, seems to be aimed at users who prefer one-handed use. > [New UI Design?](https://www.reddit.com/r/GoogleMessages/comments/1xmoa0s/new_ui_design/) > by[u/000CuriousBunny000](https://www.reddit.com/user/000CuriousBunny000/) in[GoogleMessages](https://www.reddit.com/r/GoogleMessages/) The redesign has three parts: - **Pinned chats:** The photos sit in the background layer that currently holds the logo, search, and account menu. - **Search:** It becomes a centered floating button beside “Start chat.” Scroll down, and it expands into a “Search” pill while the other button shrinks. - **Gemini:** Its floating button moves to the top-right corner next to your profile image, matching the pattern in Google Drive, Sheets, and Docs. Android Authority’s [September teardown](https://androidauthority.com/google-messages-ui-shuffle-september-2026-3713858) described the same UI shuffle, with Gemini taking the header slot that Search used to hold. **Big contact photos may replace the last-message previews you rely on** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The new pinned layout shows no history or last-sent information. Currently, in the public release, pinned chats move to the top of the list with their last message visible. However, in the new layout, a row of user profiles will appear at the top, which is taking away the last message preview. Testers have raised smaller complaints, pointing towards an awkward empty placeholder when only a couple of chats are pinned. One of the testers reckoned the layout caps pins at six max. Google might change the limit on pinned chats once this revamped UI is released publicly, or it might let you personalize which chats stay at the top while keeping the current UI for the rest of the pinned chats. Only some beta testers have it, and Google hasn’t set a release date -------------------------------------------------------------------- The revamped UI is available for a few people, for now. The changes are in the beta channel, and some testers have access to the completely new UI while others have received only one change. Those testers who don’t see the change suggest it may be a server-side switch. If you keep eight chats pinned, the six-pin limit matters more than the new UI, since you would end up picking favorites from those pinned. If you mostly search, the new button is probably an improvement thanks to the new placement, since Gemini seems to be less used on the Google Messages launch screen.