Google Photos flirts with returning to an interface we thought it outgrew - Android Police

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Google loves to switch up its style every so often — it's why Android 12 had such a shift in appearance with Material You. Usually, an all-new design philosophy means all of its apps will follow suit, whether with dynamic themes or bottom navigation bars. It's not often we see Google switch back to an older design, but with an unexpected change to Photos, the company seems to be setting a pattern with its current trends.

As spotted by @PrajjwalPorwal on Twitter, Google Photos briefly flashed a three-line hamburger menu in the app before it disappeared after a restart. The icon didn't do anything when tapped, simply lighting up without opening a specific menu or performing any other action. We haven't seen the menu icon appear on any of our devices, so without further context, it's unclear whether this was a simple bug or something Google is testing to roll out to users eventually.

It comes at an interesting time. Last month, the company updated Google Messages to feature a new three-line menu icon, something the app hadn't previously featured. Broadly speaking, these menus have been removed from Android apps over the last couple of years, with services like the Play Store dropping them for good. Google Photos actually lost its hamburger menu icon way back in May of 2020, after which the app made the official switch to bottom bar-based navigation.

Google may be staging this icon to make a comeback in 2022, although it would certainly be an unexpected move. Still, with Photos now the second app we've seen a hamburger menu button reappear in, anything's possible.

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Thanks a lot, Google

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Will Sattelberg (876 Articles Published)

Will has been an Android enthusiast since he got his first smartphone in 2011. He loves watching movies, has a never-ending backlog of video games, and produces a comedy podcast in his spare time. He lives in Buffalo, NY and is willing to give you chicken wing recommendations at any time. Just ask.