Updated

Updated · Android Police · Sep 10

Google Photos Prepares Android Grid Personalization in Version 7.92.0 as iOS Already Offers Toggle

Updated

Updated · Android Police · Sep 10

Google Photos Prepares Android Grid Personalization in Version 7.92.0 as iOS Already Offers Toggle

Q: Are these new manual controls a sign that Google is rethinking its AI-first approach?

Not necessarily. The tests in Google Photos look less like a retreat from AI and more like a practical correction: Google appears to be adding manual controls where automation can feel limiting. The reported changes are modest but telling. A brush-size slider, a much larger color palette, more text colors, alignment options, and new fonts all give users finer control over basic editing. The new “Feature photos” toggle does the same for browsing, letting people turn off Google Photos’ automatic enlarged thumbnails and keep a more uniform grid. That addresses a common complaint with AI-led or algorithmic design choices: they may guess what matters, but not always in the way users want. At the same time, there is little evidence Google is backing away from AI overall. The broader pattern points the other way. Google has continued to expand AI-driven editing and search features, and it is also rolling out dedicated AI image tools such as Google Pics in Workspace. Even in Photos, recent updates have included AI-related changes alongside more traditional options, including a classic-search toggle for Ask Photos. What these tests suggest is a balancing act. Google still sees AI as central, but it also appears to recognize that users want overrides, customization, and predictable controls. In that sense, this is better read as an evolution of an AI-first strategy rather than a reversal of it.

3 articles · Updated · Android Police · Sep 10

Code in Google Photos 7.92.0 points to an Android option that would let users personalize the photo grid by turning highlighted “Feature photos” on or off.
That setting would address the app’s current habit of enlarging selected images in the grid, a layout choice that can make scrolling look uneven for some users.
Google already offers the same control on iOS through the three-dot menu, suggesting the Android feature is more likely a delayed rollout than an abandoned test.
The finding follows earlier signs that Google Photos is expanding customization, with testing also uncovering new editing tools, fonts, colors and home-feed controls.