Summary
- Google Photos is testing a new full-screen interface for its Memories feature, aiming to provide a more immersive viewing experience by maximizing the display area and minimizing distractions.
- While the core functionality of Memories remains the same, key controls like the ‘Favorite’ button have been relocated and now require a long press, contributing to the cleaner, full-screen aesthetic.
- This redesigned Memories UI has been spotted in a recent version of the Google Photos app but is not yet publicly available, and its official release is uncertain.
The Memories feature on Google Photos is already an immersive experience that lets you relive important moments you’ve previously captured in photos and videos. It is one of Google Photos’ best features, and it is now poised to get even better.
For reference, the feature first landed on Google Photos back in 2019. Since then, Memories has received several updates, including options to see more and/or see less of specific people in Memories, better memory sharing, photo stacks, cinematic photos, and more.
Related
Memories show up in the ‘Photos’ tab of the app — in a top-aligned Featured section. Tapping a memory opens it up in an Instagram-like Story layout, complete with options to add it to your favorites, to share it, and view connected information like where and when the memory was captured. With a subsequent update, however, Google might be planning to change the way the memory layout and its connected settings appear.
First spotted by folks over at Android Authority, who were able to activate the potentially upcoming UI in Google Photos v7.17.0.725321504, the change aims to prioritize a UI that focuses first on the memory itself, with connected controls and settings relegated to a secondary level.
Old, new
The new look will let your Memories occupy the full screen, compared to the current implementation where the content that matters the most is squished by black bars from all sides. The core controls and settings remain the same, although they’ve been relocated — sharing now sits on the extreme bottom left, favorites in the center, and the overflow menu on the bottom right. Additionally, the Favorites star button now only shows up when you long tap the memory. This does add an extra step to the Favoriting process, but also contributes towards a more immersive viewing experience, making it a worthwhile trade-off.
For reference, the new UI isn’t live across the board with Google Photos v7.17.0.725321504, so your mileage with it may vary.
