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Google+ for iPhone gets first big visual overhaul

The company has given its Google+ app for the iPhone a new coat of paint, replacing a design that didn't quite match up with its Web counterpart.

Josh Lowensohn Former Senior Writer
Josh Lowensohn joined CNET in 2006 and now covers Apple. Before that, Josh wrote about everything from new Web start-ups, to remote-controlled robots that watch your house. Prior to joining CNET, Josh covered breaking video game news, as well as reviewing game software. His current console favorite is the Xbox 360.
Josh Lowensohn
Google's latest Google+ update
Google's latest Google+ update. Josh Lowensohn/CNET

If there's one thing to be said about Google+ for the iPhone (iTunes), it's that it hasn't looked as good as its Web counterpart. With an update today, Google is hoping to change people's opinions on that.

In a new version of the software that went out to Google+ users for iPhone today, the company has overhauled the look and feel of the app, making text bigger and adding a kinetic feel as photos float into view as users scroll down.

In a blog post about the update, Google Senior Vice President Vic Gundotra called it "a mobile app with sense and soul."

"We're embracing the sensor-rich smartphone (with its touchable screen and high-density display), and transforming Google+ into something more intimate, and more expressive," Gundotra said.

The update comes on the heels of Google more deeply integrating Google+ inside of its Gmail Web e-mail service. Yesterday the company rolled out a way for users to view and respond to a Google+ comment thread, as well as +1 posts that are sent to their in-box.

Gundotra says that the Google+ app for the company's Android platform will arrive "in a few weeks" with "a few extra surprises." Still missing is a version of Google+ for Apple's iPad. However, unlike earlier versions of the app, the iPhone version can be scaled up using the iPad's x2 mode.

Here are some shots of the new look:

Google's revamped Google+ app for iPhone (screenshots)

See all photos