By Abner Li
Publication Date: 2026-01-05 16:32:00
Google Messages is more widely rolling out some tweaks to the combined camera and gallery interface on Android.
The camera viewfinder is now slightly shorter, though it extends into the system status bar compared to before. It is housed within a container featuring rounded corners at the top and bottom. There are no changes to the actual button layout.
That shrink, along with other spacing reductions, allows you to see two full rows (2×3) of images. Previously, you only saw half of the second line on most devices. Depending on your screen settings, you might see a sliver of the third row in a meaningful density upgrade.
Old vs. new (on same device)
As always, you can swipe on the gallery sheet to scroll through your full library. You can also skip the camera entirely by opening the ‘plus’ menu and tapping the dedicated “Gallery” shortcut.
After testing in the…