Google this week began rolling out a dedicated "Images" tab inside the Google app on Android and iOS, a new, Pinterest‑like visual feed designed to make image discovery and organization faster and more visual.
What’s new
Tapping the new Images icon, placed at the center of the app's bottom bar, opens an endless, scrollable feed of photos and graphics "tailored to your interests," according to Google. The feed can be refreshed with a pull gesture; images show their source websites (including social platforms such as Instagram) and open in a fullscreen viewer that surfaces visually similar images beneath the photo you tapped.
Key features:
- Personalized image feed based on topics you select when first launching the tab.
- "Search for images" bar at the top that limits queries to photos and other visual results.
- Save images into Google Collections (the app uses the existing Collections feature to organize saves into folders).
- Long-press options to share, save, hide or search an image with Google Lens.
- The ability to hide images you don't want to see and to browse fresh content via pull-to-refresh.
- Availability: rolling out in the U.S. over the next few weeks on Android and iOS; not yet global.
- How to get started: open the Google app and tap the new Images icon on the bottom bar once it appears; you will be prompted to select topics so Google can build a personalized feed.
- Controls: long‑press an image to save, share or search with Lens; use the hide option to tune your feed; saved items appear in your Collections.
Google frames the addition as "a new way to explore and organize images in the Google app," aimed at helping people find visual inspiration whether they are planning a trip, redecorating, or choosing an outfit. The company said the feature will roll out over the next few weeks to users in the United States on both Android and iOS. There is no announced timing yet for a wider global rollout.
(For Google's announcement, see the company blog: Google Blog).
How this compares to existing options
The Images tab puts visual discovery front and center inside the main Google app rather than directing users to the separate Google Images website. Observers and reviewers have repeatedly likened the experience to Pinterest and Instagram: a curated, image‑first browsing surface where items can be saved for later. Unlike Pinterest, the Google version does not include a social layer (no public boards, comments or follower feeds); it is built around personal discovery and organization.
Compared with the long‑standing Google Images search, the new tab blends passive discovery (an algorithmic feed) with active searching (the image-only search bar) and the ability to collect and organize finds in Collections.
Reactions and concerns
Photographers and creators may see increased exposure: more surfacing of publicly available images could drive additional traffic to portfolios and editorial sites. Some outlets noted that this could be a net positive for photographers who receive visibility through Google’s indexing.
At the same time, members of the search and creator communities have flagged potential downsides. One ongoing test — reported separately by search observers — shows a carousel of traditional search ads appearing at the top of mobile image results. That experiment, which places paid search creatives above organic images, prompted criticism from some in the search community who worry that ads are crowding valuable real estate in visual results. Google has offered no broad comment on that specific ad test as part of the Images tab rollout.
Privacy and attribution questions are likely to follow as the feature rolls out. Google highlights sources for images shown in the feed, but photographers and publishers will be watching to see whether attribution is clear, whether clicks still drive traffic to original sites, and how algorithmic personalization affects which creators get surfaced.
Context: Google's broader visual push
The Images tab arrives as Google continues to fold more visual, AI and editing features into its product family. Earlier this month the company updated Google Photos with multiple AI editing and transformation tools — an effort that underscores Google’s broader investment in making images more editable, searchable and generative across its ecosystem.
What users should know and how to try it
If you rely on Google for visual research or inspiration, the Images tab offers a more discovery‑focused entry point than the traditional Search results page. Creators and site owners should monitor referral traffic and attribution closely over the coming weeks as the feature becomes more widely available.
Bottom line
The Images tab is a clear attempt by Google to capture more of the image‑discovery surface that platforms like Pinterest and Instagram have cultivated, while keeping the functionality within the Google app. For users it promises faster, more visual inspiration and easier organization. For creators and the search community, the rollout raises familiar questions about monetization, visibility and how much surface paid results will occupy as Google experiments with ads in image experiences.