Google photos app gets floating toolbar, ai-powered search

Published on 14/02/2026 06:24 in technology • Elizabeth Moore

Google continues to experiment with its apps, introducing a floating toolbar in the latest version of GooglePhotos for iOS devices. This change comes after the company introduced Material 3 Expressive improvements across its apps. The floating toolbar replaces the bottom navigation bar, offering users quick access to key functionalities.

New floating toolbar

The new look debuted on the iOS version of Google Photos, with the Android app expected to receive the update soon. The floating toolbar appears on my iPhone 15 Pro Max running iOS 26.3, but not on my Pixel 6 Pro with Android 16 QPR3 Beta 2.1.

Ai mode integration

Ai mode integration

One of the key features of the updated Google Photos app is the integration of AI Mode. This allows the app to understand and respond to conversational queries, such as