turn off – Google Photos has long used a shimmering border to prompt users to press and hold for stickers. Now, in Google Photos version 7.82, the app is preparing a toggle in Settings so the effect can be turned off, while the shimmer still appears when you long-press t
For a lot of people, the shimmer in Google Photos isn’t a fun flourish — it’s a moving cue that shows up when you’re just trying to look at your pictures.
The effect arrives after you’ve been viewing an image for a few seconds. An animated border highlights the outline of what can be turned into a sticker, encouraging you to press and hold. Google first rolled this sticker prompt out on iOS last year, and Android finally got it in February.
But the feedback hasn’t been gentle. Complaints have piled up in Google Photos support forums, with users saying the shimmering border makes them feel nauseated or gives them headaches. For sticker fans, it may be useful. For everyone else, it’s been an unwanted distraction.
Now Google is preparing a way to quiet it. The change isn’t live yet, but Google Photos version 7.82 shows signs of an upcoming toggle. When it arrives, the option will live under App Settings > Preferences > Photos view.
Turning the toggle off won’t completely eliminate the shimmer. You’ll still see it when you long-press on a picture — because at that moment, the app is actively guiding you to create a sticker. What the switch is expected to fix is the constant flashing while you’re simply browsing.
There’s a clear tension here: the shimmer is designed as an invitation to sticker mode, yet for some users it’s the opposite of an invitation. One part of the same feature will still appear when they ask for stickers — and the rest of the time, Google is finally letting people opt out.
For now, the off switch is in preparation, not in your hands. But in a Google Photos version 7.82 build, the direction is unmistakable: the app that highlights stickers is getting one less way to force them into view.
Google Photos sticker shimmer app settings Android iOS toggle accessibility UI changes version 7.82 Photos view
Finally. That shimmer makes me feel like my phone is glitching.
I swear it shows up like 2 seconds after you open a pic, then you’re like “why am I being forced to make stickers?” I just wanna look at my photos, not audition for a cartoon.
So if you turn it off, it STILL shimmers when you long-press? That sounds pointless lol. I don’t even know why long-press is considered “encouraging” anything, I’m just trying to copy/save. Also I get migraines so yeah I need the whole thing gone.
This is wild… I thought it was like an accessibility thing or something? Like maybe it helps low vision? Then I see headaches/nausea comments and I’m like okay so it’s basically a trap UI. But if you can’t fully eliminate it, what’s the point, Google will still do it anyway, right?