Google might be undoing some controversial changes to the Photos app

Google continuously experiments with new features and interface changes, but not all find the same appreciation or acceptance as the team of engineers and designers may have hoped for. One such change is the photo editor that Google introduced to the Photos app for Pixel users last year. Despite being implemented to celebrate the app’s tenth anniversary, the revised interface caused a lot of frustration among users, especially due to the new buttons and revamped menus that slowed the process of finding the desired option. If you’re among those pained by this transition, there may soon be some respite as Google is looking to refine these menus again, hopefully for the better.

It looks like Google is addressing some of the peeves users have had since the redesign. We’ve seen reports of Google testing a new editor interface, where some items are returning to their positions from before last year’s redesign. Additionally, Google appears to be toning down AI-powered photo editing features. Let’s explore all these changes one by one.

The first change we’re seeing is the return of controls for tools such as Crop, Adjust, Filters, and more at the bottom of the editor interface. Following the redesign, these are accessible by tapping the Tools button adjacent to the Help Me Edit input box. With this change, users can access tools with one tap less. As with the interface before the redesign, you can scroll through the tools to access other options. The new interface also marks the return of the Crop menu, which was removed in the redesign last year, while its tools, clubbed under it, were spun off as individual features.

Despite a return to the carousel form similar to the older UI, the Photos editor may retain quick-access buttons for the Enhance, Dynamic, and AI Enhance features. Meanwhile, the Help Me Edit field is also being replaced by a YouTube-like Ask button to conserve space. When you tap the button, an input box now opens in the new interface.

Additionally, we also noted a minor change to the labels for different actions. In the new UI, the names for actions are enclosed in a pill-shaped perimeter, which is also highlighted when a certain action is selected.

The interface is already rolling out to a select few users, such as Telegram user @Ak1097816, who are witnessing the new update on their Pixel 7 running version 7.67.0.882706237 of the Google Photos app.

In addition, Google is testing a new “Explore” option alongside Memories at the top of Photos’ welcome screen. The option, which was called “Related” when we spotted it back in January, creates a TikTok-like vertically scrolling feed of videos. From what it appears, Google may AI to curate the feed based on factors such as the contents of the video, location, or people present in the videos.

Just like the refreshed photo editor, Explore also appears to be rolling out for a small set of users, including Telegram user Eternal, who tipped us about the test. We’re unsure of the scale of this test and whether this is merely a test or the beginning of a rollout. We’ll update the story once we learn more.