There are several ways to scan your documents or files on an Android smartphone. Perhaps the easiest way to achieve this feat is through Google Drive or Files by Google, both of which offer instant access to document scanning.
Following the Material 3 Expressive revamp of Drive’s scan editor page back in September, Google is about to bring Android’s latest design language to the document scanning interfaces of the Drive and Files apps as well.
As first reported by 9to5Google, some users of the Drive and Files by Google apps are seeing a pop-up to try the updated document scanner interface (in beta). The redesign isn’t live on my device just yet, though the folks at 9to5 are seeing the updated interface.
In addition to being “a faster, smarter way to scan,” the revamped scanner can capture “all pages in view at once,” thereby making it significantly easier and faster to scan multipage documents, receipts, or books.
A welcome refresh to the document scanning interface
One of the first changes you’ll see is to the viewfinder, which is placed in a familiar M3 Expressive container. The squiggly progress indicator is also immediately noticeable, though it turns into a conventional (non-squiggly) progress indicator when the document is scanning. Meanwhile, the image/file picker button sits to the left of the dynamic progress indicator, while the manual capture button is on the right.
A right-arrow button at the bottom-right of the screen moves the user to the scan editor interface. Additionally, there’s an ‘X’ at the top left to close the scanner, while a button to toggle the camera flash sits at the top right. There’s also a Workspace Labs logo next to the flash toggle, which reportedly switches users to the older layout.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen the Material 3 Expressive makeover of the document scanning interface, as it was uncovered by the folks at 9to5Google just over two months ago. We learned back then that this updated interface will be available (at least initially) through the Workspace Labs program, which offers early access to experimental AI features from Google.
The updated scanning interface was reportedly spotted in version 25.46.32 of Google Play services (stable). However, I do not see it in the Google Drive and Files by Google apps on my Pixel device, which have the same Play services version and an account signed up for Workspace Labs.
This indicates the redesign is only available to users in certain parts of the world, though that could change imminently. Are you seeing this updated document scanning interface in Google Drive or Files? Let us know below.
