Google Photos testing combined menu and info sheet

Abner Li | Sep 10 2019 - 1:36 pm PT

In addition to Google Photos soon gaining support for ordering in-store canvas and 4×6 prints, the Android client is testing a redesigned photo viewer. The big change is a combined menu and info sheet.

As spotted by Android Police, the overflow icon in the top-right corner of the photo viewer still exists. Tapping, however, no longer reveals a menu but slides up a bottom sheet.

Previously just for “Info,” this page now includes a carousel of menu items, including Add to album, Move to archive, Delete from device, Use as, Slideshow, and Print. Each is accompanied with a Material theme icon for a larger touch target.

EXIF data has been tweaked in the process with date and time listed immediately underneath. “Add description” can be used to enter any notes and is no longer at the very top of the panel, while “Details” contains the full file name, megapixel count, resolution, and file size. Device info and other camera data is still at the very bottom.

It makes for a cleaner look and centralizes key commands rather than requiring users to go to separate places. Users can presumably continue to swipe up on an image to bring up the panel, thus making this new design better on larger devices.

As of Google Photos 4.24, it’s not yet widely rolled out on any devices we checked. The Google Photos combined menu is presumably rolling out as a server-side update.