The past year has probably been the most significant and successful for Android app redesigns. Yeah, I don’t know how you feel about Material 3 Expressive, but it sure works well on me Pixel 6 Pro, which has enjoyed a second life thanks to the combination of the Android 16 QPR1 update and Material 3 Expressive makeovers. The pair has given some life to the old one and if it weren’t for the battery I would be replacing my iPhone 15 Pro Max with Pixel 6 Pro.
Google Clock app version 8.3 has started rolling out

The current version of the Google Clock app on the left and the upcoming new version is on the right. | Image credit-9to5Google
But that’s not the new feature that comes with Google Clock 8.3. The novelty is a change in the background of the application. Previously, your wallpaper would be the background when the alarm went off and would show the time along with buttons to Snooze or Stop the alarm. But that led to users sometimes getting confused and not being able to see the numbers in the app as a wallpaper mixed with the Google Clock UI.
The Google Clock Settings menu is also renewed

The Settings menu has also been reorganized. Open the app and tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner. From there, tap Settings and the menu will be organized in the following order:
- Alarms
- world clock
- Minute
- Screen saver
As Gemini slowly replaces Google Assistant, all traces of what was once the best virtual digital assistant in the business are disappearing. For example, when setting an alarm with the Google Clock app, you used to be able to create something called a Google Assistant Routine that would play the day’s weather forecast or top news stories when the alarm went off. Since Google Assistant is a name of the past, the feature is now called Routines and the three-dot Assistant logo is replaced with a trio of “Flashes,” which is now synonymous with Gemini.


The Google Assistant routine is now known as Routines. | Image credit-9to5Google
Google Clock 8.3 is slowly rolling out. My Pixel 6 Pro run Android 16 QPR2 Beta 3.1 currently has version 8.2 of the application.


“Iconic phones” are coming this fall!
Good news everyone! For the past year, we’ve been working on a passion project of ours and we’re thrilled to announce that it will be ready to launch in just a few months.
