Google announced today that it is rolling out a redesigned Google Photos app – for both iOS and Android.
The redesigned Google Photos app doesn’t really give it a big makeover, but brings in a number of new features and moves some things around. So muscle memory is going to be shot for heavy users of Photos.
The new three-tab structure
Google now has a three-tab structure for the Photos app. With Photos, Search and then Library.
In the Photos tab, you will see your photos and videos but with larger thumbnails now. Videos will also auto-play and there is going to be less white space between photos as well. There’s going to be a larger Memories carousel at the top of the screen too.
With search, it’s now front-and-center. So you’ll have quick access to the people, places and things most important to you. There is also a new interactive map tool, so you can find photos taken in a specific place or city.
Finally, there’s the library tab. Which contains the most important destinations in your photo library. This includes Albums, Favorites, Trash, Archive and more. The Print Store is also located there, if you’re in the US, Canada or Europe.
The Map View has been the most requested feature for Google Photos since it was launched a few years ago. And now it is finally here, built into the Search tab. You can scroll through and see where pictures were taken by day, or tap on different areas on the map to see pictures from that area. This is particularly useful for those that do a lot of traveling, and will be really cool for taking a road trip – in which you took a good amount of photos. It’s going to be a really great feature to have included in Google Photos.
A new icon, with the same colors
Google Photos is also getting a new icon with the redesigned app.
Google explains that it originally designed the logo after a pinwheel, and it was a nod to childhood and nostalgia. The new redesign is all about simplifying the icon. It keeps the pinwheel shape, but it looks more modern and fits in with the rest of the Google brand.
The updated Google Photos app will be rolling out over the next week. However, some appear to have the updated app already, so it could be landing on your device even sooner than that.