The new Google Photos Collections tab finally lets you decide what shows up first. Instead of a fixed grid of cards, you can pin your favorites, hide what you never use and reorder the rest.
Google is rolling it out now on both Android and iOS, so you may already have it.
Here’s the short version:
- Rolling out on Android (Google Photos 7.97) and iOS (7.98)
- New “Pinned” section at the top, fully optional
- Carousels can be hidden or reordered
- No setting to flip: it arrives from Google’s servers
What Google Photos Collections used to look like
The old tab opened with a 2×2 grid of shortcuts. Under it came big cards for albums, people, places and other categories. On Android, a list of shortcuts such as Screenshots, Videos and Archive sat below that.
It worked, but you couldn’t change it. If you never touched Wardrobe or Documents, they still took up space.
The redesign follows the floating navigation bar Google added in July, according to 9to5Google.
What’s new in the Collections tab
The tab now starts with a Pinned section. You pick the cards you want there, or remove the section entirely. By default it shows Favorites, Screenshots and Trash.
Below it, carousels cover On this device, Albums, People & pets, Places, Wardrobe and Documents. Each one has a “View all” link in the top-right corner for the full grid or list.
Here’s how the new layout breaks down:
| Section | What it does |
|---|---|
| Pinned | Holds the cards you choose. Defaults to Favorites, Screenshots and Trash. You can remove it. |
| Carousels | On this device, Albums, People & pets, Places, Wardrobe and Documents. Each can be hidden or moved. |
| Other Collections | A grid with Favorites, Screenshots, Moments, Videos, Recently Added, Stickers, Creations, Archive, Locked and Trash. |
| View all | A link in each carousel’s top-right corner that opens the full grid or list. |
The takeaway: the things you open daily can now sit at the top, and the rest can stay out of the way.
How to customize your Google Photos Collections tab
Open the Collections tab and set up the Pinned section at the top. Choose which cards you want there, or drop the section if you don’t need it.
You can hide any carousel you don’t want. To change the order, scroll to the very bottom and tap Reorder. That button is easy to miss.
If you screenshot a lot, pin Screenshots and keep Trash handy. If you mostly browse people and places, move those carousels up and hide the rest.
Three ways to set up the tab for how you use Photos
There’s no single right layout. Here are three setups that fit common habits, and you can mix them.
For heavy screenshotters, pin Screenshots, Favorites and Documents. Receipts, tickets and saved notes are then one tap away instead of buried in a long list.
For family photo people, move People & pets and Albums to the top and hide Wardrobe. You’ll jump straight to the faces and trips you open most.
For minimalists, remove Pinned, hide every carousel except Albums and keep the “Other Collections” grid as your catch-all. It’s the closest thing to a clean slate the tab offers.
This is a layout change only, so none of these setups touch the photos themselves.
Don’t see the redesign yet? Try this
The change is “widely rolling out,” and it’s a server-side update, so there’s nothing to download. Make sure Google Photos is on 7.97 for Android or 7.98 for iOS.
9to5Google’s writer got it on Android after restarting the phone and opening the app, without force-stopping it first. The article doesn’t say that’s the official method, so treat it as a tip that worked once.
Google has been tweaking its apps in small ways lately. We covered similar quiet changes in Google Play Playbacks and Google Health’s activity detection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Google Photos version has the new Collections tab?
Google Photos 7.97 on Android and 7.98 on iOS. Rollout is gradual, so it may take a few days to show up.
Can I remove the Pinned section?
Yes. You can pick which cards appear in it or remove the section completely.
How do I reorder the carousels?
Scroll to the bottom of the Collections tab and tap Reorder. You can also hide any carousel you don’t use.
Does this change where my photos are stored?
No. It only changes how the Collections tab is laid out. Your photos, albums and Trash stay as they were.
Our take
This is a small update, but a useful one. A tab you open every day should match how you use it, and now it can. Spend two minutes pinning your top cards and hiding the clutter. If you don’t have it yet, wait a day or two and update the app.
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