Google Files: Central Android app gets useful design that it should have had from the start

Files by Google was previously part of Google Drive. Now it has its own PDF viewer.

No more annoying “save file to drive” thing. Google Files has got a new user interface. It doesn't look all that dissimilar to the old one. In fact, Google is making its files app a lot more user-friendly with its own PDF viewer.

This is what the new PDF file viewer looks like

The file manager app Files by Google brings together all files in one app. Such an app should make it possible to quickly find and send documents.The document view was previously with Google Drivetied together.

The first button in the main menu was correspondingSave file to Google Drive. If you don't use Drive at all, this button was completely uninteresting to you. In a hurry it could actually be really annoying if you just wanted to send an important document quickly. This button is now a thing of the past.

The old design with Drive button (Source: 9to5Google) The new design with send button (Source: 9to5Google)

Less awkward typing

The drive icon has given way to the send icon. To send the document you had to go to the options menu with the three vertical dots. This in turn gets some useful content for which you previously had to switch from the file viewer to the list view. Fall under thisMove to secure folderandFile information.

The old options menu (Source: 9to5Google) The new options menu (Source: 9to5Google)

The new three-dot menu gets even more content, namelyMove to,Copy to,Search in fileandMove to Trash.

The fact that you can now delete a document while it is open is also a practical feature. You also had to go to the list menu beforehand. This was just as impractical given the small view on the display with many similar-looking documents.

No more drive nudging

The prominent Drive button could give rise to the feeling that Google wanted to (gently) urge the user to use Google Drive. This impression has given way to a uniform design. The new functions can be found not only for documents, but also for all other files that are combined in Files.

The functionSave file to DriveBy the way, it's still in the list menu. She should be in good hands there too