New and improved notifications and a Google+ update for Android

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Notifications are the focus with today's updates that affect both the desktop web and Google+ for Android app, bringing a new look and improved syncing across devices.

For starters, the notification counter has been replaced by a new bell icon found in both the new Google+ app for Android and the desktop web interface (and also the Google Bar found across most Google properties). Also, an improved notifications tray will separate unread from previously-read items, which will make it easier to see what's new at a glance.
A new look for both the Android app and desktop web
The new notification syncing is the killer feature for this release though. This means that if you read a notification on one device, Google+ will mark it as read on all of your other devices. This also works when swiping away or dismissing a notification. Magical!

Google+ for Android Improvements

Aside from the improvements we've talked about above, the updated Google+ app for Android has been bumped to version 4.01 and includes the following improvements:
  • You can now delete your photos from the Photos view
  • Tapping into a post shows the number of +1's, comments and reshares
  • The left-hand menu design is now more consistent with other Google apps
Notification syncing across devices means no more swiping old notifications away!
Something not noted in the change log is that the app now adheres to the updated Android design guidelines introduced at Google I/O 2013, by adding the new slide-out navigation drawer as found in other recently updated Google apps including Gmail and Youtube.

The Googler, +Balaji Srinivasan, who announced the update has said that an update to the Google+ app for iOS is coming soon with the awesomeness that is notification syncing.

The notification improvements are rolling out over the next few days so make sure to let us know what you think either in the comments or our Google+ Updates community when they've rolled out to you.