Google Photos is testing a big redesign for the Collections tab

Source: Android Authority

TL;DR

• Google Photos appears to be testing a redesigned Collections tab with a cleaner layout.
• The new UI reorganizes each collection into a scrollable section.
• Those sections can also be collapsed, and the app remembers your preferred layout.

Google Photos is one of the apps that Google constantly tweaks to improve the experience. Earlier this year, the company was testing changes related to how you move around the app (Android Authority article). The Collections tab now looks poised for a major revamp.

Current Collections tab

The existing Collections tab is fairly busy. At the top are shortcuts like Favorites and Trash, while the rest of the screen displays nested squares for Albums, Documents, and other collections. It works, but the top‑level view offers little insight into the contents of each collection.

Redesigned Collections tab

After digging into the app, a redesigned version of the page can be activated. The new layout features:

• Four quick‑access buttons arranged in a row at the top.
• The remainder of the tab split into clear horizontal sections, one for each collection.
• Each section shows a horizontally scrollable row of previews, allowing you to glance at a few items and tap an arrow on the right to open the full collection.

The redesign feels more orderly and easier to scan.

Collapsible sections

A useful addition is the ability to expand and collapse each section. If you’re not interested in a particular collection, you can tuck it away, keeping the page cleaner. Google Photos also appears to remember the state of each section, so collapsed sections stay collapsed the next time you open the tab.

Outlook

There’s no guarantee this redesign will roll out publicly, and it could still change before any release. However, the refresh is plausible because it doesn’t alter the core functionality of Collections—it simply makes the tab feel less messy and easier to peruse.