Google+ gets mobile facelift

New versions of Android and Apple apps bring new functions from the latest desktop version plus greater ease of use.

New versions of Android and Apple apps bring new functions from the latest desktop version plus greater ease of use.

Following a refresh of the desktop site, Google is rolling out updated versions of its iPhone and Adroid Google+ apps. Available in their respective app stores Monday, the new mobile versions offer vast improvements in terms of photos, posts, profiles and communities.

The biggest advance in terms of photos is the addition of image editing and filters that will be familiar to users who have tried out Google's highly praised Snapseed app. Now some of its functionality has been built into the Google+ app to streamline the process.

The way posts are displayed and can be responded to has also been improved with the buttons for resharing and liking in more prominent places. What's more, with the Android version, clicking on a video, photo or link will take the user directly to that content.

Users can now add their current location to their Google+ account (Google stresses that this is an opt-in feature). One of the first people to use the feature is Chris Hadfield, the Canadian astronaut who is currently on the International Space Station.

The final improvements bring the new communities features introduced to the desktop version to the app version of Google+. Users can invite people to a community or share content with community members and can moderate community content on the go.

Writing on the site's official blog, Amar Gandhi, director of Product Management, Google+, says that the updated apps, v3.6 for Android and v4.3 for iOS will be available to download for free before the end of the day.