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.