Google is rolling out an updated Google One Storage Manager that introduces Material 3 Expressive design changes and a swipe-based interface for managing stored content, aiming to streamline photo, video, and file cleanup across Google Photos and Google Drive.
The enhancements, introduced with Google One version 1.287.828055836, apply to the Storage Manager page, which users access from the “Clean up” card on the app’s main screen or the “Clean up space” button in the Storage tab. The update focuses on increasing information density and simplifying decisions about which items to keep or remove.
In the Google Photos cleanup pane, thumbnails are now smaller to display more items on screen at once, allowing quicker scanning of suggested deletions. The “select all” check-mark has been redesigned, and filter chips are consolidated into a single row to reduce visual clutter and make filtering options easier to review in one place. A new top card encourages users to delete unnecessary files, highlighting potential storage savings and prompting action directly within the interface.
The Google Drive cleanup pane receives similar structural changes. The “select all” check-mark is updated to match the new design language, filter chips are aligned in a single row, and a new encouragement card appears at the top of the screen to nudge users toward removing unneeded content. Unlike the Photos pane, thumbnail sizes for Drive items remain unchanged.
Beyond layout adjustments, the update introduces a Tinder-style selection interface in the Storage Manager once users choose items for review. In this new view, users can swipe to keep or delete individual pieces of content. The swipe-based UI is active for photos and videos within the Google Photos cleanup pane and for all files listed in the Google Drive cleanup pane.
This swipe interface, previously spotted in testing for Google Photos but not widely released there, is now live within the Google One app’s Storage Manager. It is designed to make going through deletion suggestions faster and less tedious by converting batch cleanup into a series of simple, binary choices.
Google is deploying these Material 3 Expressive updates and the swipe-based cleanup experience gradually. The refreshed Storage Manager is expected to appear for Google One users on mobile devices as the rollout continues.
