The recent update to Gboard, version 17.4, has led to the disappearance of the Material 3 Expressive redesign for shortcuts among beta users. Launched in January, this redesign introduced a new layout replacing the previous grid format with rounded pill shapes for shortcuts, allowing two items per row and enabling users to swipe left for additional tools.
In the older version, shortcuts appeared in small rectangular cards, which could be resized for better visibility. Now, although the icons remain the same, the text labels are larger but may not fit properly within their containers, resulting in scrolling labels. Users can still customize their shortcuts using the pencil icon, and a close 'x' has replaced the back button in the suggestions.
As of May 26, the redesign is not available for stable users, indicating that Google may be preparing for a broader rollout of this update. Previously, the redesign had been gradually introduced to beta users in the past week.