Google Photos Gets a Big Redesign with Light Mode, New Menus, and Smarter Photo Tools
Google has started rolling out a major redesign of the Google Photos app, focusing on making the ‘Your Photos’ view more clean, modern, and user-friendly. This new update improves the way users view and manage their photos without removing any existing features.
Light Mode and Smart Design
One of the biggest visual changes is the introduction of a new light mode. Now, Google Photos will automatically switch between light and dark modes, depending on your phone’s system settings. This helps make the app feel more consistent with your device’s overall appearance.
Clearer Photo Info at a Glance
When viewing a photo, you’ll now see important details like the date, time, and location clearly displayed at the top. This small change makes it much easier for users to know exactly when and where a photo was taken, without having to dig through menus.
Easier Navigation with Simplified Menus
Google has streamlined the menus in the app. Many important options have been moved under a new three-dot menu, making it easier to find actions like:
- Viewing photo details
- Using Google Lens
- Casting photos to a smart device
- Saving motion or live photos as stills
- Downloading or deleting a photo
Even with the menu changes, users still have access to the Add to (+) button at the bottom of the screen, which lets them add photos to albums, archive them, or move them to the Locked Folder.
Better Control Over Photo Stacks and Bursts
If you take burst photos or have stacked images, you’ll now see a dedicated three-dot icon on the thumbnail. This makes it easier to:
- Change the top photo in a stack
- Unstack or remove photos
- Select multiple photos at once for batch actions
New Badges for Better Photo Management
Google has also added new badges to help users quickly interact with their photos. These badges allow you to:
- Change the photo category (like marking it as a favorite)
- Play or pause live or motion photos
- Save shared photos to your personal library
- Check and manage your backup and storage settings
When Will You Get the Update?
Google says the redesign is already live on iOS and will roll out to Android devices very soon. So if you’re using an iPhone, you may already see the new changes. Android users should expect it in the coming days.
Google will launch the Pixel 9 Pro in the country on October 17; pre-bookings for the device will begin the same day from 12 PM but will be only available on Flipkart. Google launched the Pixel 9 series in India last month, which comprised the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro will be the latest smartphone from Google in the country, priced at INR 109,999. It sports the SoC Tensor G4 and arrives pre-installed with Android 14. The phone offers up to 16GB RAM and 1TB storage space. A 6.3-inch 120Hz LTPO OLED 1,280p display is used.
The Pixel 9 Pro features a 4,700mAh battery that supports 27W wired charging. That is supported by an ultra-wide-angle camera system comprising the main camera at 50MP, an additional periscope telephoto lens at 48MP, an ultrawide camera at 48MP, and a 42MP front-facing selfie camera. This exclusive blend of features makes Pixel 9 Pro a robust contender in India’s premium smartphone market.
Google has raised the bar in the mobile industry with a new software support promise. The Pixel 8a, Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold will receive software updates for seven years. Google deserves praise for this commitment since most people likely won’t even keep their phones for the entire seven years.
When it comes to smartwatches, Google is taking a different approach. The original Pixel Watch and the Pixel Watch 2 have been promised only three years of guaranteed software support. The Pixel Watch 3 will also receive updates for just three years.
This means that after October 2027 (which is oddly the cutoff month even though the watch was announced in August) updates may stop. Google might decide to release some updates after that date but it’s not guaranteed. This creates an interesting difference in how Google treats its smartphones and smartwatches, even though they are both smart devices.
It seems like Google expects people to replace their smartwatches more often than their phones. This could also be because smartwatches are usually cheaper than smartphones. So if you’re thinking about getting a Pixel Watch remember that it won’t last as long as a Pixel phone when it comes to software updates.
After numerous developer previews and public beta versions, Android 15 is now fully stable and prepared for release on all smartphones. However, even though the final version is ready, it’s not yet available to the general public, including you and me. At this stage, only developers have access to the stable version so they can optimize their apps and services before it’s officially rolled out to everyone else.
Google has finally uploaded the Android 15 source code to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) but updates for phones are not yet ready. Even Google’s own Pixel smartphones are still running Android 14 with the September update that began rolling out yesterday.
Google also promised that Android 15 will arrive on Pixel devices very soon, including the newly launched Pixel 9 series. Smartphones from Samsung, Honor, iQOO, Lenovo, Motorola, Nothing, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Sharp, Sony, Tecno, vivo, and Xiaomi will receive the update in the coming months.
As of now, we have heard that the OnePlus 12 has received OxygenOS 15 first CBT update followed by Nothing’s Phone 2a which also received Nothing OS 3.0 CBT update based on Android 15.
According to the previous reports, Android 15 would reach Pixel devices in October. Although Google hasn’t confirmed this directly. For now, developers can explore the AOSP code and begin working with it.