Many users of Google Photos have had to get used to new navigation several times and now there are signs that the next round of renovations is just around the corner: The photo platform is still looking for meaningful main navigation and could make a comeback at very short notice of the hamburger menu. It can now be seen again on the corresponding screenshots.
Google Photos is a very simple photo platform that can be used intuitively in its basic features, but many special areas and additional features are so well hidden that even experienced users have to keep looking for them.
One or the other area may even have remained completely closed to users who are not quite so keen to experiment. This is not least due to the fact that the navigation between smartphones and desktops differs, but also that the structures and navigation hierarchies do not always make sense.
Another app which is apparently testing to bring back the hamburger menu- Google Photos!
Nothing happens though while tapping it!
cc – @MishaalRahman @AndroidPolice @droid_life @ManuelVonau @AndroidAuth pic.twitter.com/SxK4ftockR
— Prajjwal (@PrajjwalPorwal) March 3, 2022
Now a user has noticed a hint of a comeback of the hamburger menu, which Google’s designers actually said goodbye to years ago and slowly removed it from all apps. Outside of the Google universe, however, it can still be found on a large number of apps and websites, so Google could also be planning a return – because the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
On the screenshot above you can see where the icon suddenly returned. The Twitter user saw the icon, but it had no function. A tap did not trigger any action and after restarting the photos app it should have disappeared again.
The video above shows the button again in action and in non-action. I don’t think this is a bug, but much more a test run for reintroduction. Possibly unlocked way too soon, but still I would expect this menu to make a comeback. It wouldn’t hurt Google Photos, and just a few weeks ago the button was spotted again in another app: the hamburger menu has reappeared on Google Messages.
Here’s a recording too pic.twitter.com/euOd03POZA
— Prajjwal (@PrajjwalPorwal) March 3, 2022
Perhaps the menu could be modernized a bit, but storing functions and elements in such a menu is certainly not the worst idea. The top level of the main navigation can remain at the bottom, the account-specific options and global settings in the user menu and everything else from photo book ordering to video and collage creation to cleanup wizards could be moved to such a menu.