Ubuntu 21.04 To Offer GNOME 40 Apps with GNOME 3.38 Desktop

Ubuntu 21.04 is probably not the most exciting release for some after they decided not to include GNOME 40.

Of course, that could be a good thing for some users as well.

However, it looks like even though you won’t get the GNOME 40 desktop experience, you might get the chance to utilize GNOME 40 default applications on top of GNOME 3.38 desktop.

All thanks to 9to5Linux for spotting this after which I came across the change too.

GNOME 40 Apps on GNOME 3.38 Desktop

Even if you’re disappointed that you won’t get to experience a new workflow, it is good to see the progress of adding GNOME 40 apps in Ubuntu 21.04.

It is worth noting that not all GNOME apps included are derived from the GNOME 40 suite of applications. Also, the applications that have been updated are beta versions from GNOME 40 stack (as expected).

GNOME System Monitor, GNOME Calculator, Disk Usage Analyzer, GNOME Disks, Evince document viewer, GNOME Font Viewer, Eye of GNOME image viewer, and Seahorse (Passwords and Keys) are some of the apps updated to what you’ll find with GNOME 40.

Considering that we’re using the daily build of Ubuntu 21.04, you can expect updated Nautilus File Manager, GNOME Calendar, and more in future updates to it, but currently they’re based on 3.38.

Will it be the case for Ubuntu 21.04 final release? I’m not sure of that because I haven’t come across any official updates informing that. Also, I’m not certain if all the default GNOME apps will be updated.

But that’s what should happen in the coming updates considering the current daily build, I believe.

Not just limited to Ubuntu 21.04, updating the apps now should ensure a quick transition to GNOME 40 as the desktop for the next Ubuntu release.

For now, technically, it is good to have the latest default apps without needing to break the workflow with a new desktop, but the improvements to the apps aren’t that huge as per the interim release notes, so you may not notice a big change.