The move (albeit very minor) has been rather controversial, as some are comparing the similarities between posts on Google+ and status updates on Facebook, more so now that Google+ has took a leaf from Facebook's, erm, book. Some have even gone so far to label it as "copying" Facebook.
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| Recent post from Google+, with the addition of your profile photo next to the comments field |
In the screenshot below from Facebook, you can see that profile pictures appear next to the comment box as well. For Facebook, this feature is a long standing one.
We posted about the test back in December 2012 (which you can read here), but now it seems it is back for good and is rolling out or has already rolled out to everyone.
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| A status update from Facebook, with the similar styling |
We can verify that this is a recent change as it isn't present in the various videos promoting the new-look back on May 15th of this year at Google I/O 2013. Check it out for yourself:
You can also see below for a screenshot from the video where the old comment box style was still in action:
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| A lack of profile photo next to the comments field in a Google+ promotional video |
Of course, some users may have had this for a few days or weeks now, but it no appears to be the new standard look for Google+ across all users.
Thanks to +Long Nguyen for reporting this in our Google+ Updates community, keep 'em coming!