Google Photos gets a makeover with ‘Updates’ feed

Google has made a significant change to its Google Photos app by replacing its “Sharing” page with a new “Updates” feed. Back in August 2024, the app changes the “Library” to the “Collections” tab to enhance user experience.

The Updates feed has a new notification bell icon, which is located in place of the Sharing option in the app bar, between the ‘plus’ menu and profile picture. It allows users to see recent sharing updates, including conversations and shared links.

When you click on the bell icon, it opens the “Updates” feed, which lets you access two options including Sharing activity and Conversations in the overflow menu.

The Sharing activity shows all your sharing activity in one place, which makes it easier to keep track of what you’ve shared, along with any shared links and memories. On the other side, the Conversations option displays a list of conversations.

In the old version, users could find sharing options by clicking a ‘people’ icon. The Sharing page had shortcuts for creating shared albums and sharing with partners, along with an “Albums and Memories” section and a list of “Conversations.” Now, all of this has been simplified.

The use of a new bell icon is similar to what you find in other Google apps like Home, the Play Store, and YouTube, which helps make the app feel more familiar and user-friendly.

Right now, the “Updates” feed is being rolled out for Android users, but there’s no news yet on when it will be available for iOS devices.