Google is rolling out a new feature in its mobile app that could give Pinterest a run for its money when it comes to finding inspiration through visuals: a dedicated images tab. Announced on Wednesday, the new “Images” icon will be available at the bottom of Google’s Search app for both iOS and Android, showcasing images tailored to each user’s interests.
According to Google, the images will refresh daily, providing users with a fun way to organize their creative ideas. Whether you’re planning a trip, hosting a party, decorating your apartment, or exploring new fashion trends, this feature aims to help you find visual inspiration.
These scenarios are also among the main reasons many users flock to Pinterest and other social media platforms like Instagram.
In this new tab, users can explore images, conduct searches for additional visuals, and save their favorites to personalized collections.
With this addition, Google likely aims to boost app engagement, especially as AI companies continue to make significant inroads into its search and advertising market.
Perhaps more importantly, this feature opens up a potential new avenue for ads within the popular Search app. Google has already been seen testing an ads carousel within the image tab on mobile devices, so seeing advertisements in this new tab wouldn’t be surprising.
This isn’t Google’s first venture into creating a dedicated feature for saving images and bookmarks from searches. Back in 2018, the company introduced a Collections feature, which also integrated AI tools to recommend other items for users to save. However, that feature catered to a broader range of content, including websites, products, and map locations.
Google announced that the new images tab in the Search app will begin rolling out over the next few weeks for iOS and Android users in the U.S. There’s no timeline yet for a global launch.
