Google tweaks Clock app design in new 5.0 update

Even if you shirk Google’s messaging, maps, and email apps on your phone, there’s one stock Android app that we almost all use on a regular basis: Clock. And with a new update to version 5.0 rolling out, Google has made a few interface tweaks that will make it even easier to use when your eyes are tired at the end of a long day.

First spotted by Android Police, the new update only brings incremental changes, despite being a whole-number release. Aside from a bolder font and deeper purple background, the most obvious difference is that the four top-row menu items for Alarm, Clock, Timer, and Stopwatch now have text labels below their icons (seen in the image above). Most new users likely could figure out what they meant (or quickly learned after an initial mis-tap), but labeling them doesn’t distract from the minimal interface and takes all of the guesswork out of the navigation. Additionally, there are new labels for the buttons that appear alongside a paused timer and stopwatch, indicating that you can delete the existing one or add another, or reset and share, respectively.

Greenbot

Your stopwatch will be a little easier to use thanks to new text buttons in Clock 5.0.

Speaking of labels, you’ll also see a plain text explainer of how many hours ahead or behind a specific time zone is when adding world clocks. Additionally, when you put the app in screen saver mode—which displays a dimmed clock against a completely black screen—the navigation buttons will disappear until you fully wake your phone.

The Clock update is rolling out in the Play Store, but you don’t have the time to wait you can side load the Google-signed APK from APK Mirror.

Time for change: While there’s nothing in the Clock update that will be all that noticeable to anyone but the most meticulous of users, the improvements here are a promising move away from the ultra-minimal style that some apps have adopted. A clean, sparse interface is nice, but not if it comes at the expense of usability. Sure, most users could figure out the difference between the stopwatch and alarm icons, but the simple change of adding text below them makes Clock that much easier to navigate, and the small change is sure to be appreciated by most users.

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