Google Photos 4.0 rolling out w/ Google Material Theme, swipe up Info shortcut [Gallery]

Abner Li | Sep 5 2018 - 4:39 pm PT

Briefly showed off on stage at I/O 2018, Google Photos is now the latest app to gain a Google Material Theme. Today’s Google Photos 4.0 update is focused on implementing the brighter look and various new icons, with primary navigation remaining unchanged.

Upon updating, users will immediately take note of the bottom bar with Material Theme icons that feature bold outlines. This new style really pops and is in place throughout the app with every single icon updated to match, including when selecting multiple images and Archive suggestion chips. While predominately black against a light background, the top carousel of icons in the Assistant tab is more pleasantly colorful .

Meanwhile, the search bar up top now features rounded corners and doesn’t quite stretch the full width of the screen. Opening search, the resulting page of filters are now displayed against a solid white background rather than in individual cards.

The angular motif is very much on display in the Albums tab where all items are rounded. Unlike other recent redesigns, Google Photos 4.0 retains the navigation drawer to access settings, device folders, and trash.

One of the few additions in version 4.0 is a very convenient swipe up gesture when viewing a photo fullscreen that slides up the Info page. Users can quickly see — without opening the overflow menu — when/where a photo was taken, as well as any associated EXIF data and comments.

Other small tweaks include the Google Lens panel displaying information in cards with outlines and rounded corners, a white status bar, and the new style tab indicator when switching tools while editing images.

Google Photos 4.0 for Android is rolling out now via the Play Store.