Google reinvents photo editing app Snapseed to compete with Adobe Lightroom: Discover insights here

Google has finally revamped a photography app it abandoned to rot years ago, Snapseed, by launching a system-wide redesign of Snapseed on Android, marking the end of a long period of stagnation for the app.

Snapseed was once a cherished tool for mobile photographers, and unfortunately, it became somewhat obsolete amid the rise of subscription models and wide-ranging AI automation.

The fresh Snapseed redesign marks a strategic shift in Google’s creative software portfolio and eliminates any lingering “abandonware” concerns.

By aligning Snapseed with current Android user experience standards, Google is stabilising the platform to compete more efficiently against rivals like Adobe Lightroom and VSCO, both of which have taken advantage of Snapseed’s prolonged silence.

The app existed in a state of digital suspended animation for years, becoming an archaic relic of mobile photography in the rapidly evolving world.

What's new in redesigned Snapseed for Android?

The latest Snapseed update replaces the previously opaque, gesture-heavy navigation that characterised Snapseed for nearly a decade with a more modern architecture.

By organising editing functions into distinct tiers, Google is minimising the barrier to entry while retaining its original depth that brought the app its substantial following.

Now presented in a format that aligns with the expectations of a 2026 mobile ecosystem, its core non-destructive editing engine remains intact.

While Google Photos has become the biggest go-to platform for automated memory management and cloud-based AI editing, Snapseed is being reinforced as a local, precision-focused tool.

It shows that Google is well considerate of a growing fatigue with “black-box” editing, where AI makes all creative decisions for users.