Major Google Photos update adds the most requested feature for the app
Google Photos is getting a UI makeover and it's rolling out now to both the iOS and Android versions of the app, which was created to help organize mobile users' photos. Over one billion people per month use the app and the company notes that "Over the past few years we’ve also seen that people use Google Photos when they feel nostalgic and want to reminisce. Google Photos has become more than just an app to manage your photos, it’s become the home for your life’s memories." Cue misty eyes.
The update begins with a new (albeit familiar) icon. Google says, "We originally designed the Google Photos icon after a pinwheel, as a nod to childhood and nostalgia. Today, we're refreshing and simplifying the icon, while retaining that familiar pinwheel shape to remind you of past memories."
Google Photos gets a facelift
The redesign is focused on helping you find treasured images that transport you back in time. For example, you can view photos of that Disney trip you took all the way back in...February before the daily coronavirus headcount became must-watch programming. The new UI brings older photos and videos to the center of the screen with three tabs placed on the bottom of the display. The three tabs include Photos, Search, and Library.
The Search tab now includes an interactive map that can be navigated using pinch and zoom to a specific location. All photos and videos taken at this spot will be available to view. So if you want to see all of the photos and videos you took in Times Square, Abbey Road Studios, or Cupertino, this can be achieved quickly and easily. Google says that if you enable location from your smartphone camera, Location History, or manually add locations, these photos and videos have already been organized and viewable based on the location where they were taken. Now, with the new feature, they will also show up when using map view. Google says that this has been one of its most requested features for the Google Photos app.
Memories has become one of the most used features available on Google Photos with more than 120 million users per month. Today, Google introduced some new Memories including the best pictures of you and a family member or a friend over the years including images snapped just a week ago.
Things that are NOT allowed: