Google is adding a dedicated images tab to its mobile app, a new feature that could challenge Pinterest for users to find inspirational images first. The company announced Wednesday that it is introducing a new “Images” icon at the bottom of the Google Search app for iOS and Android devices that displays images personalized to your interests.
Google says the images will be updated daily and the feature will give users a way to organize their creative ideas and find visual inspiration for planning a trip, hosting a party, decorating an apartment, discovering new fashion, and more.
Of course, these use cases are also one of the main reasons why users turn to other social apps like Pinterest and Instagram.
Users can browse images, search for more images, and save images they like to their collections in a new tab on Google.
Google appears to be hoping to increase user engagement with its apps with this addition, especially given that AI companies are making inroads into Google’s search and advertising businesses.
Perhaps more importantly, the feature will give Google a new screen to advertise within its popular search app. The company has already been spotted testing an ad carousel within the images tab on mobile devices, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see ads appearing within this new tab as well.
This isn’t the first time Google has announced a dedicated feature for saving images and other bookmarks from searches. The company launched its Collections feature in 2018 and later added an AI feature that suggests other items you can save to your collection. However, the feature wasn’t just focused on images, it also encouraged users to save locations for websites, products, and maps.
Google says the new Images tab in its Search app will roll out to iOS and Android in the U.S. in the coming weeks, but hasn’t said when it will roll out the feature globally.
