Google’s Ben Eidelson announced the update on his Google+ account, noting that the app’s developers worked closely with the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) team. “So you’ll see the same attention to beauty and simplicity in our new design,” he writes.
Along with a de-cluttered interface the app features bigger photos in Google+’s image gallery, which now more closely resemble Microsoft’s Metro UI with big tiles filling up the screen.
Another stand-out improvement includes “battery life improvements.” It’s unclear what exactly Google means by this. It begs the question did the previous version of Google+’s Android app have a power consumption problem? It could also indicate the Google+ app now uses less power than similar apps. We are still waiting to hear back from Google on its power saving claims.
Google’s release notes document all that’s new in the latest version:
- Completely new app and new visual design
- Battery life improvements
- Navigation and performance improvements
- Significant improvements to notifications
- Brand new posting UI
- Several bug fixes
- Support for Google Apps users
- Ability to sign out
- Add people to a circle from circle profiles
The app is free to download and should work for anyone running Android 2.2 (Froyo) or higher.
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