Google's is testing a radical Google Photos redesign
Google is testing out a new interface for the hugely popular Google Photos app that enables previously-leaked, and potentially game-changing, experimental features for the first time.
According to the unofficial, but typically reliable, Google News Telegram Group, some users are already seeing a radically redesigned interface that replaces the bottom navigation buttons with a new slider control and provides access to a new event-based Memories page.
The new slider lets you switch between Photos, Memories and Library view modes, while a separate search icon appears to the right. Meanwhile, the Sharing button has been removed from the bottom of the screen and placed at the top, to the left of the user’s profile picture.
The top bar has also been reconfigured, moving the Google Photos logo from the center over to the left and grouping all other icons together on the right.
The most significant change, however, is to the Memories tab, which improves upon the current timeline-based view by providing an all-new layout that groups items together as small clickable collages based on themes and events instead. This much-needed update will make Google’s Memories more engaging, by providing a curated feed of your most important moments rather than leaving you to search for photos directly or scroll interminably through a chronological feed of every photo you’ve ever taken.
The update, currently rolling out only to a select group of Android and iOS users, appears to be a refinement of the experimental update leaked earlier this year by the same source. Sadly, it’s not currently possible to download the update, as it appears to be activated at Google’s end on a per-user basis via a server switch. However, if it proves successful, I’m sure we can expect a wider roll-out soon.
So far, opinion on the redesign has been split with some commenters praising the new interface’s looks, while others brand it “unnecessary” or criticize it for flouting Google’s own Material You design guidelines.
Lack of interface consistency between apps is a valid concern, and any significant change is sure to cause confusion for some, especially older users. For example, many Google apps, such as Google Drive, offer a search bar at the top of the screen, so why should Google Photos be different? This will force users to re-learn important controls each time they change, rather than allowing their use to become second nature.
However, in its defense, the new layout does appear to make better use of space, leaving more room for actually displaying photos—which can’t be a bad thing.
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