Google Photos Gets Much-Needed Update Ahead Of Pixel 10 Launch

Google is testing more design updates in Google Photos

SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Key Takeaways

• Google Photos is testing new personalization upgrades ahead of the Pixel 10-series launch.
• Changes align with Google’s “Material 3 Expressive” design philosophy.
• New filtering options simplify finding shared albums

Google Photos Updates Two Features

Google Photos is testing some significant design upgrades, aligning with the upcoming launch of the Pixel 10-series. A new report from Android Authority indicates that key personalization functions will soon be updated in line with Google’s Material 3 Expressive design philosophy, expected to feature heavily on the Pixel 10 range.

These updates, discovered in the app code for version 7.41 of Google Photos, follow earlier Material 3 updates reported by the same source, suggesting how Google Photos and other apps will continue to evolve.

Google Photos Tests Easier Name-Changing

The first update simplifies changing the picture you use as your default face in Google Photos, altering both the layout and wording of the interface. The new version replaces the existing, small circular face tiles with much larger, irregular shapes from Google’s updated Material Shapes Library, prioritizing faces over the accompanying text, which has also been simplified.

Once you’ve selected your new face image, you are then given the chance to change the name Google Photos uses to refer to you. This is a much-needed upgrade, not only because it complies with Google’s latest design rules, but also because changing a name in Google Photos is currently such a clunky process, which requires finding the person in the People and Pets collection and tapping on their name twice. What’s worse is that Google Photos provides no on-screen instructions for this procedure.

Active Now! Improved Sharing To Google Photos Albums

Google has also begun rolling out two powerful filters for album searches. You can now choose to display only albums shared by others, or those you’ve created yourself, simplifying the process of finding shared albums, especially when you want to add pictures to a shared album.

Without these filters, users have to scroll through a lengthy list of albums or try to recall album names to type into the search box. This is particularly challenging when locating albums named and shared by others.

This update is rolling out now, and many users are already seeing the new filters. Keep an eye out next time you’re searching for an album, as they do make the process a whole lot easier.

The new Material 3 Expressive face picker isn’t currently available to users and may undergo significant refinement before release. However, its strong alignment with Google’s latest design principles suggests we’ll see these and similar updates rolling out to Google Photos and other apps soon. For example, Google recently revamped the Pixel Watch interface with Material 3, offering an insight into what’s to come.

Expect to see even more Material 3 Expressive design when Google officially unveils the Pixel 10 series on August 20, 2025.

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