Google Photos Has a New 'Updates' Screen

Google Photos is adding a new feature called "Updates," which changes how users see recent activity in the app. This feature is replacing the "Sharing" button.

Users can get to Updates by tapping on the bell icon, where they would normally get to Sharing before the update. The Updates page essentially aggregates all types of activity, including updates to shared albums, conversations, group conversations, partner sharing updates, memory updates, storage updates, and access to shared albums from Collections. Updates are chronologically organized, so anyone can view activity from today, yesterday, this week, this month, last month, and further. The new interface also gives shortcuts for accessing albums, groups, and conversations, making them more easily accessible.

How To Geek/Jorge Aguilar

How To Geek/Jorge Aguilar

Notifications for new activity now appears in the conversations section, such as when someone adds you to a conversation or when you receive new photos. Conversations can be accessed through notifications, Updates, and Photos settings, which can be accessed through the Menu in Updates. Users can also access their shared albums from the Collections page. This is basically a better "Recent Acitivity" menu than what is seen in many other apps. So, the update is much more than just a name change; it's building a lot more on top of what's already there.

The name change is an excellent idea because having a name like Updates makes more sense. This is because Sharing would make most users think of sending a link or something similar to a contact, as the share button on many apps is for that very reason. Updates seem more geared to new things but not as wordy as Recent Activity, as many other apps have. The rollout of the Updates page is currently in progress for all Android and iOS Google Photos app users, so it can take some time before users notice the changes in their apps.

Source: Google