Google Photos Adds Two Light Leak Patterns and a Removal Option [APK Teardown]

Google Photos is giving its developing Light Leak photo effect a small but useful set of controls. New editing strings identify two pattern variants, simply named “I” and “II,” alongside a dedicated option for clearing the effect.

The broader Google Photos Moods capability and its vintage-style effects are already public. What is new here is the specific Light Leak effect and the first clear breakdown of the patterns Google is preparing for it in this build.

Light Leak gets two selectable patterns

We found a group of closely related editor strings that names the control “Light leak patterns” and defines two styles. Google labels them with Roman numerals rather than descriptive names: “I” and “II.”

That structure shows Light Leak is not being treated as one fixed overlay. Instead, the effect has at least two pattern choices within the editor. Another description string combines the Light Leak name with a placeholder, giving Google Photos a way to identify the selected variant in its interface or accessibility text.

The relevant pattern labels read:

A “None” choice removes the effect

The same feature-specific string group includes a “None” option. That gives the Light Leak selector an explicit reset state: you can return the photo to having no Light Leak treatment without replacing it with the other pattern.

This may sound like a minor control, but it completes the editing choice presented by the strings. The selector is not merely a switch between two looks; it accounts for all three states — no Light Leak, pattern I, or pattern II.

The removal label appears under the same Light Leak identifier used by the two variants:

For anyone experimenting with the vintage-style treatment, the important change is straightforward: Light Leak is taking shape as a reversible effect with two distinct patterns, rather than a single look applied without its own reset choice.

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