Pixel Screenshots could soon steal this handy Google Photos gesture

Key Takeaways

• A new update for Pixel Screenshots app introduces Google Photos-like features for easier image selection, as well as a redesigned home page layout and new tabs.
• The best feature is the long-press-and-drag to select multiple screenshots at once gesture, a direct copy of a popular function in Google Photos.
• The update was spotted in an APK teardown and is not yet official.

Google Photos is the gold standard of cloud storage services. It syncs photos across every device, from PCs to iPads to Android phones . So it's no wonder that Google decided to steal some ideas from its Photos app for a major update to its Pixel Screenshots app.

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The update introduces some new features that were spotted in an APK teardown (via Android Authority). There's a redesigned home page layout, and the ability to rename collections directly within the app. The 'All screenshots' view is also gone. But the best feature is the new long-press-and-drag gesture, one of Google Photos' most beloved functions.

Give a warm welcome to Gallery and Camera shortcuts

Source: Android Authority

The way it works on the current Pixel Screenshots app is users need to invidually select multiple images by tapping on them one-by-one. The new Google Photos-like selection method makes the process much more efficient.

The new layout is also better organized, with new spacing between each screenshot. Two new app shortcuts are included in the update: 'Gallery' and 'Camera.' These shortcuts are enabled by long-pressing on the app icon and allow users to add images to the Pixel Screenshots gallery from the home screen or even the app drawer.

Another new trick is the ability to add multiple images to the Pixel Screenshots app using the Android system share sheet. There were strings found in version 0.24.373.08 of the app suggesting users could add, copy, telephone, and send emails directly from a screenshot.

This new update clearly has Google Photos written all over it. The inclusion of these features in the Pixel Screenshots app could indicate a future where Screenshots gets subsumed into the Google Photos app. After all, there's already the Galleries app, and Google Drive. The Pixel Screenshots app comes off a little superfluous. It remains to be seen what will become of Pixel Screenshots in the future.

These changes are not yet live in the current Pixel Screenshots release. They may not roll out in a future update, although they seem fairly polished, so it is most likely we'll see them sometime soon. In the meantime, you can continue storing your stolen memes in the older Pixel Screenshots app.