As announced on the Official Android Blog, the new icons are brighter, flatter, and all feature the Play Store’s familiar icon. It’s more of an evolutionary change that keeps with Google’s fluid Material Design guidelines and makes the apps appear like they’re part of the same portfolio.
The biggest change is to Google Play Music, which drops the headphones icon in favor of a note inside of a record. Google says the new look for these apps will show up “in the coming weeks.”
Why this matters: This transition is likely a method to better brand each of Google’s specific storefronts. The Play Store is probably the most familiar to everyone as Google’s app storefront, but the company also offers digital content for movies, TV shows, books, and music. Such branding moves usually have a goal behind them, and in this case it may be for Google Play and its assorted apps to make a better impression on potential buyers.