Android Authority's teardown of Gmail version 2026.10.05.993506826 found code for an in-development Gmail settings page redesign that folds the Android app's separate "General" and per-account settings into labeled categories. The outlet says it only got the screens to render through "a lot of tinkering," and Google has not announced a public test or given any rollout timeline.
The clearest effect lands on anyone juggling more than one Gmail account on a single phone. The surfaced code points to a settings flow that adds extra steps for switching between accounts, even as the rest of the menu gets easier to scan. Nothing described here has been announced as a public feature, and the reporting covers Android only.
What the Gmail settings page redesign changes for Android users
Gmail's current Android settings page is simple but scattered. Open it today and there's a "General" entry at the top, followed by every account added to the app. Tapping "General" opens app-wide controls; tapping an account opens settings specific to that inbox, splitting related options across separate screens.
The build Android Authority surfaced folds both tracks into one page organized under category headers, with names like "Email notifications," "Inbox customizations," and "Writing assistance" grouping controls that currently sit in separate lists.
Those category labels exist in the code, according to Android Authority, though the outlet hasn't mapped every individual setting that will eventually live inside each one. The full contents of the redesigned menu remain partly unclear.
Chat and Meet settings give the clearest before-and-after. Those controls currently appear among other Gmail settings, meaning disabling Chat or Meet inside Gmail can involve looking through options unrelated to either feature.
The surfaced screens move those controls into their own dedicated categories, which could make them easier to find if the layout ships as shown.
Android Authority added one useful data point: the redesigned page "seems to be working as expected" in its own hands-on testing. That's the outlet's observation from forcing the screens to render, not a guarantee from Google that the layout is finished or close to a public release.
Current navigation vs. the reported account-switching flow
The Gmail Android settings redesign also changes how switching between accounts works inside the settings page, and that's the real trade-off buried in this teardown.
Right now, tapping a different account from the settings list opens that account's controls directly. No backing out to another screen first.
Under the surfaced redesign, changing which account's settings you're viewing would mean leaving the settings page, switching accounts through Gmail's account switcher, then reopening settings, according to Android Authority.
That's the behavior shown in the development build, not a feature Google has confirmed it will ship.
If Google ships this flow as shown, people who regularly compare settings across two accounts, a work inbox and a personal one, could face extra navigation every time they check or adjust something on the second account.
The teardown shows that behavior in the surfaced build. It doesn't show how Google expects people to use it day to day, or whether a later version removes the extra steps before release.
On the other side, a categorized menu could make a one-off change, such as adjusting notifications or toggling a writing-assistance feature, easier to find than digging through today's settings lists.
That's a reasonable interpretation of the surfaced layout, but it hasn't been tested through a public release.
Why Gmail's settings already needed a cleanup
Gmail's settings menu already governs more than inbox appearance.
Google's smart-feature documentation describes a control for "smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet" that covers automatic email categorization, Smart Compose, Smart Reply, and summary cards that appear above certain messages.
That's one of three separate smart-feature controls Google documents.
A distinct "smart features in Google Workspace" setting and a separate "smart features in other Google products" setting each control different experiences. Google says the settings operate independently, so changing one doesn't automatically change the others.
That's a lot of overlapping consent logic sitting behind a menu that hasn't been organized around the purpose of each setting.
None of this proves the new Gmail settings page will change how those smart-feature or privacy settings are labeled.
The teardown Android Authority described shows reorganized categories for notifications, inbox customization, and writing tools, not a documented change to how consent controls are grouped.
Whether a finished redesign makes those settings easier to find, or leaves them exactly where they sit today, is still an open question.
Google's broader settings overhaul
Gmail isn't the only Google app receiving attention.
Android Authority separately reported an in-development settings redesign for the main Google app, potentially moving to a card-based layout with categories like "Your App Experience" and "Privacy & Safety," and surfacing previously buried controls such as Search personalization, SafeSearch, and Results about you onto the main screen.
That report followed an earlier Android Authority sighting of a similar redesign in Gemini.
None of this establishes that Gmail will adopt the same card-based style, or that the redesigns share a release schedule.
It does suggest Google is revisiting cluttered settings menus across more than one app around the same period.
What's still unconfirmed
Android Authority's reporting is a code teardown, not a Google announcement.
It provides evidence that the category labels, consolidated layout, and reported account-switching behavior exist in the examined Gmail Android build. It does not establish that any of this will reach a wider audience, or when.
The report doesn't identify a public way to enable the screens. Android Authority says it took deliberate effort just to make them render.
And the reporting says nothing about whether Gmail's web interface or iOS app will see a comparable change, since the teardown covers the Android build only.
What to check before this ships
There's no confirmed rollout date, so treat the surfaced screens as evidence of work in progress, not an update guaranteed to reach a phone soon.
Trying to force the layout through developer tricks isn't worth chasing based on what's confirmed so far.
Anyone managing multiple Gmail accounts can still build the habit of double-checking which account is active before changing a notification, label, or inbox setting in the current app.
That's a precaution worth keeping regardless of whether the new account-switching flow ever ships.
Watching for a Google announcement or checking Gmail's own release information remains the more reliable way to know when this moves from in-development code to something actually worth testing.
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