The Material Theme’s “Compose” button was superseded by the unified Gmail Hosting web client earlier this year. Following user input, Google has reversed its decision. 

The red button for composing a new email is now visible to the right of the “Mail” dropdown menu. “For all users of Chat in Gmail on the web,” this “smaller, icon-only” approach was launched in April. It was easy to overlook, especially if the label/folder drawer was extended. In this way: 

We’ve heard from you that the previous, bigger form of the button is more intuitive, so starting November 3, 2021, we’ll revert to that choice. 

The expanded FAB will be raised and appear above “Mail” in addition to being broader. Gmail, on the other hand, does not appear to be bringing back the four-color ‘+’ button that was iconic with the Google Material Theme design period in the image posted today. Keep still using it, despite it being removed from mobile app Gmail, Drive, and Docs/Sheets/Slides. The outline-style pencil symbol will be used instead. 

This change to Gmail’s Compose button is already being rolled out to select users, and it affects both personal and Workspace Google Accounts. 

The update comes as Gmail’s web interface is expected to undergo a major redesign in the near future. “Compose” is now always visible in the top-left corner, above Mail, Chat, Spaces, and Meet, thanks to the upgrade. Labels/folders and the Spaces list (in that view) appear to the right of the left-most strip, which remains unchanged. It’s unclear if Google intends to utilize Material Design 3/Material You has a rectangle shape.