After replacing “Library” with the “Collections” tab in August, the next notable change to Google Photos is an “Updates” feed in place of “Sharing.”
Previously, Google Photos had a Sharing page that you accessed from a ‘people’ icon in-between the ‘plus’ menu and your profile avatar. It started with high-level shortcuts for “Create shared album” and “Share with partner.” This was followed by an “Albums and Memories” carousel. Finally, you had a list of “Conversations.”
You now get a notification bell icon in the app bar to “See recent sharing updates, including conversations and shared links.” This opens an “Updates” feed. The overflow menu lets you access:
- Sharing activity: Shared links, Shared memories, and Conversations
- Conversations
It’s not surprising that Google is deemphasising the messaging system that is Conversations, while a bell icon in that top bar is a common UI convention across Google apps, including Home, the Play Store, and YouTube
We’re seeing Updates rolled out to Google Photos for Android, but not iOS.
More on Google Photos:
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