What you need to know
- Google highlighted the rollout of its "Updates" page, which replaces the "Sharing" button in the Photos app.
- The new page will inform users of new shared albums, new photos, memory, and conversation/group conversation updates.
- The feature is rolling out for Android and iOS users; however, we're still waiting on the app's AI-backed features, "Ask Photos."
Google is rolling out an update for its Photos app to help users stay in the loop with all the latest happenings.
As detailed in a community post, Google is rolling the new "Updates" page in Photos for all users on Android and iOS. This new page is being touted as a shared, social hub for people who share photo albums with one another. Accessible via a new "bell icon," users will find an Updates page that places organization and what's current first.
Google states it hopes the Updates page can "foster collaboration and connection." This is designed to be a user's one-stop-shop for updates on shared albums and conversations/group conversations. Regarding the latter, the post states users will be notified if they're added to a new conversation or if another user sends a new photo. All conversations are accessible via the Photos app settings.
For shared albums, Google says its Updates area will inform you of new ones and display them in the order received. Moreover, if another user adds a new picture to a shared album, an alert will be sent so you can check it out. However, users can hop into their Collections tab to view their shared albums without seeing ongoing conversations and "other activities."
Other information in this new page include partner sharing, memory, and storage updates.
Google highlights the "chronological" order of the Updates page. Albums received/shared will be displayed by "today" first, before diving into "yesterday, this week, this month" and more.
As previously stated, the Updates page in Photos is rolling out today (Nov 8). The company states that users can continue to check for an update "over the coming weeks."
Speaking of the "Collections" tab, Google rolled out the "Library" tab revamp for the app over the summer. Instead of that old carousel, users were presented with a more organized grid for their cloud-stored albums. The company also shifted the Locked Folder button down into a list, instead of being displayed as a larger pill-shaped button up top.
With the "Updates" page arriving, we're still waiting on the official rollout of the app's "Ask Photos" feature. Google Photos will soon let users conversate with an AI to discover photos they're having trouble locating. "Ask Photos" leverages the company's AI model Gemini to process your "descriptive query" and (hopefully) find what you're looking for. Google highlighted the feature in September, stating users can join its waitlist to try it out before it launches.
