Android Police spotted several changes to the notification screen in the version 7.6 update, but now they all appear to have vanished. Closing and re-launching the app eliminated them in one fell swoop, which indicates the flip of a server-side off switch.
I downloaded the APK and had a similar result, although I never saw any of the new additions to begin with. It was as if nothing changed.
What we should see is some fresh paint on how the notification screen performs.
You could use a filter to toggle between all, unread, or other updates. Additionally, the update allowed you to swipe away a notification to the right or left instead of just one direction. And the “previously read” bar was removed. Notification filters have been quite the mystery, as they were alleged to appear in the version 7.3 update.
The other major change was an auto-hiding bottom bar when you scrolled through notifications, which keeps in line with a recent Material Design update.
If you want to try your luck, you can also grab the Google+ app from the Play Store.
The impact on you: For now, it looks like we wait. Presumably these features will return, as Google may have just pulled them back due to some software bug. We’ll update you if that ends up happening. Until then, maybe explore a few of those Google+ collections.