Major Google Photos redesign rolling out on Android, gets rid of the hamburger menu

Google Photos is receiving a major redesign that does away with the hamburger menu and one that brings with it some nifty UI improvements. While the app has been picking up new features and capabilities in the recent past, this redesign is one of the more major updates the app has received in a while.

The first noteworthy change is that the app has now done away with the hamburger menu and the search bar that sat atop the albums and content. The elimination of the side menu looks to be a new theme with the search giant’s apps since the Maps app too recently got rid of the menu. The search option now resides in the bottom navigation that has also seen updates. The bottom bar now houses five icons as opposed to the four options before the redesign – which include Photos, Search, For you, Sharing, and Library.

The top section now houses the Google Photos branding followed by a Memories section. Below that, users’ most recent images are stacked in the same order as before. The Search option, too, doesn’t directly pop up a keyboard of searches, as the app now displays a bunch of suggestions such as People & Pets previews, Places, and Things for users to be able to directly view images from within these sections. The previews are similar to how Albums were displayed in the older version.

Speaking of Albums, contents of that section that has now been removed sit inside the new ‘Library’ section. This section also provides access to other options that were formerly present in the hamburger menu, including Device folders, Favorites, Albums, Archives, Trash, Utilities, and more. Overall, the update is a fresh take on the design and in many ways, makes it easy to use the app with elements moving to the bottom of the screen.

The update reportedly is enabled with a server-side update and has not yet begun rolling out to many users. However, since the redesign does not require an app update, it shouldn’t be long before it makes it to more devices.

Have you received the new design for Photos? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: AndroidPolice