Google Photos finally gets a tablet-optimized UI on Android

Here’s a nice little surprise: Google has quietly made the Google Photos UI more optimized on tablets. The look and feel of the update bring the tablet version of the app more in line with what you’d find on desktop.

Before, Google Photos on tablets felt a lot like Google was content to provide with the same app you could find on smartphones. That meant a bottom bar with three shortcuts for Photos, Search, and Library. While those shortcuts work fine on a phone, the bar didn’t really take advantage of the extra screen real estate on tablets.

The new interface of Google Photos for tablets on Android. Images via: 9to5Google

Now, the more optimized Google Photos UI removes the bottom bar and instead features a sidebar that includes quick links for Photos, Explore, Archive, Trash, and more. It’s a much better use of a tablet’s screen size. There’s also a top Search bar. The refreshed UI might look a little different depending on the size of your tablet’s screen, according to 9to5Google.

It looks like the new Google Photos UI is slowly rolling out to Android, although it’s not widely available just yet. As for users who own an iPad, it doesn’t appear the update has rolled out to iOS—at least not yet. Hopefully, the update will make its way to more tablets over the coming days, because the UI looks much nicer.

Google Photos was in the spotlight a few times last year for both good and bad reasons. The service underwent its largest redesign ever last summer, adding features like a map view and a UI that felt a lot nicer to use. But the service also angered fans when Google announced that it would stop offering free unlimited storage starting this summer.

You still have several more months before the new policy goes into effect, and even then Google claims it should take a while before the average user fills up their 15GB of free storage space. But having one of the best perks of Google Photos taken away still stings.

Google Photos (Free, Google Play) →

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