Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Phones
  3. Mobile
  4. News

Your Google Photos app is about to look different. Here’s what’s changing

Add as a preferred source on Google
The Google Photos app on the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Google is implementing a small yet significant change to its popular Google Photos app. As first noted by 9to5Google, the app’s “Memories” tab is being removed. Memories is an auto-organizing, scrapbook-like feature that utilizes artificial intelligence to create an AI-powered feed.

Since its release, the Memories tab has been in the bottom bar of the Google Photos app. The Memories tab is being replaced by Moments, which will reside inside the app’s Collections tab. This is where you can find People & pets, Albums, Documents, and Places.

Recommended Videos

With the change, the bottom bar in Google Photos will consist of only three tabs: Photos, Collections, and Search (or Ask if you’re using Google Gemini). After the expected app update for iOS and Android, Memories branding will consist only of the carousel at the top of the app’s primary photos grid.

9to5Google rightly says the new look makes Google Photos navigation much cleaner. A similar change was made to the Google Maps app earlier this year; it too only has three tabs in the bottom bar.

The features remain the same whether it’s called Memories or Moments. This tool functions as a digital scrapbook, showcasing curated collections of your photos and videos from the past. Google’s AI intelligently selects and organizes these memories, making rediscovering special moments such as events, trips, or significant dates easy.

You can personalize these Memories by adding or removing content, editing titles, and changing the featured images. Sharing these nostalgic collections with friends and family is simple, and you have complete control to hide specific Memories, remove photos, or even disable the feature entirely.

Additionally, Memories often include automatically generated creations like collages, animations, or stylized photos, adding a creative touch to your reminiscing.

The latest Google Photos update for the iPhone 16 and other iPhones includes the change, and an Android app update for phones like the Google Pixel 9 is expected to drop on Google Play soon.

Bryan M. Wolfe
Former Mobile and A/V Freelancer
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, and Flip 8 let you ditch your laptop’s grainy webcam
Samsung's new foldables inherit USB webcam mode from the Galaxy S26, and their hinge lets you put it to better use.
USB webcam mode on Galaxy Z Fold 8 featured

Samsung's latest foldables can double as a USB webcam for your laptop. The Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, and Flip 8 all support the USB webcam feature, which first debuted on Pixel phones back in 2023 before Samsung brought it to the Galaxy S26 series earlier this year.

How webcam mode works

Read more
Instapaper just had its biggest update in years, and it’s packed with goodies
New website, new iOS app, and AI Voices for Android, Instapaper's glow-up has arrived.
Instapaper iOS app

Apps like Instapaper are essential for keeping my reading goals in check. I cannot always read an article in full when I come across it, so the ability to save articles in a read-it-later app is a must-have feature for me. After Pocket's demise, Instapaper became the alternative most people flocked to. 

And now the company just handed its users a massive update to be thankful for. The company rebuilt its website from scratch, redesigned the iOS app around Apple's Liquid Glass look, and finally brought AI Voices to Android. Let's break down what's actually new.

Read more
How much does Apple’s Upgrade plan cost to lease devices and is it worth it?
The age-old ownership vs. subscription fight hits Apple devices.
Computer, Electronics, Laptop

Apple just gave you a new way to own an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch without buying it. The newly launched Apple Upgrade program lets you lease Apple hardware through Klarna instead of paying full price upfront, and I'll admit that the monthly numbers genuinely look tempting.

I went through Apple's own published rates device by device to figure out where this actually saves you money, and where it's just a slower way to pay full price for something you'll never own.

Read more