The Google Photos app has been updated to make it easier to navigate the gallery and view image information. Google says that the photo view – the screen that appears when you open an image in Google Photos – has been redesigned to provide a “simpler, more modern and intuitive interface” by adding a new lighting mode, photo detail and an optimized action menu.
These changes are already available for iPhone users, and they will be coming to the Google Photos for Android app “soon,” according to Google. The update doesn’t remove any of the app’s previous functionality, but some features may be moved.
The biggest visual change is the introduction of a light mode that automatically selects a background for viewing photos according to your device’s system theme. At the top of each photo, information about the date, time, and location where it was taken is also now displayed. Beneath this information are sometimes pill-shaped “icons” that allow users to play or pause photos in real time or in motion, change the photo category, save shared images, and manage storage.
Several actions can now be found under the three-dot menu in the upper right corner of the photo view, including About, Create, Play, Save As, Download, or Delete from Device, as well as Google Lens. The latter used to be located on the taskbar of the photo viewer, but has now been replaced by the “Add to” menu, which allows users to archive photos, organize them into albums, or save them to a locked folder.
Lastly, stacks and series of photos can now be managed with their own three-dot menu that will appear next to whatever thumbnail you currently have selected. Here you’ll find options for changing the top image, deleting images, unpacking, or selecting multiple photos to perform bulk actions.
