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[Update: Available] Google Photos gets ‘Explore’ tab, quick ‘Favorites’ access on the web

Following last year’s big Android and iOS revamp, Google Photos on the web is getting a matching “Explore” tab and “Favorites” shortcut.

Update 3/10: The two new sections are now widely rolled out to the Google Photos side drawer online.


Original 3/4: Navigation on photos.google.com was streamlined in July following the mobile update, which also introduced the simplified logo. Google is now adding an “Explore” page that’s basically the equivalent of the Android and iOS “Search” tab.

It offers several carousels — People, Places, and Things — that span the entire screen, with “View all” letting you see everything with a dense grid view. This page also houses links to Your Activity, Creations, and Categories.

The dedicated page allows Google to simplify the online Photos search experience. Namely, tapping just opens a compact dropdown rather than a long list that takes up the entire screen and hides the background. You now just get a list of recent queries, Favorites, and nine faces.

The other Google Photos web change today adds “Favorites” to the Library section. While seemingly a small upgrade, it’s now much quicker to view everything you have starred.

As of today, these tweaks are not yet widely rolled out. It comes as the Android tablet experience quietly received a big update in January, which is still missing from iPads.

More about Google Photos:

Thanks Anthony!

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Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com