Google Photos

Ahead of Ask Photos this summer, Google has removed the “Things” carousel from the Search tab in Photos for Android and iOS.
Expand Expanding CloseGemini-powered Ask Photos is coming to Google Photos this summer, and the company this week shared a bit more about how it works.
Expand Expanding CloseLast month, Google Photos announced that it would be making Magic Editor and other AI-powered tools free for all Android and iOS users. There are some constraints, but this is now starting to roll out for Pixel owners.
Expand Expanding CloseWhile we wait for the Gemini-powered Ask Photos, a quality of life update to the Google Photos backup experience will let you “check if the item is ineligible for Storage saver.”
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Photos will gain context-aware voice and text prompts to search for specific images or details within images in the coming months.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Photos is working on a redesign of the Library tab on Android that renames it to “Collections.” In recent weeks, Google has been testing this new UI with more users and the reaction is not particularly positive.
Expand Expanding CloseAs teased last May, Google Photos for Android is now using the animated Material You carousel for Memories.
Expand Expanding CloseOne of the best features of Google Photos is the app’s ability to show old photos as a “Memory,” but sometimes showing a specific person isn’t what you want. Now, Google Photos is preparing to make it easier to hide someone’s face from Memories.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Photos is preparing to replace the Library tab with a redesigned “Collections” page alongside a new way to filter out “clutter.”
Expand Expanding CloseThe Google Photos app for Android appears to be bringing a web feature to mobile, as the ability to convert stored photos to a lower “storage saver” format is in the works.
Expand Expanding CloseIn a rather significant expansion, Google is making its AI-powered editing tools in Photos free without a subscription for all users, including the Magic Editor introduced with the Pixel 8.
Expand Expanding CloseTo speed up sharing, Google Photos now lets you set a “Favorite shortcut” to “share instantly and in full quality with your favourite person.”
Expand Expanding CloseThe OnePlus Photos app is getting a useful new trick, with support now available to integrate Google Photos with the app for backup and showing your library.
Expand Expanding CloseFollowing the February announcement, Android’s new cloud photo picker, which supports Google Photos and other apps, is more widely rolling out.
Expand Expanding CloseBack in November, Google Photos introduced better document sorting and another update to the capability adds labels to screenshots, notes, etc., as well as a manual categorization option.
Expand Expanding CloseBesides more widely rolling out auto-grouping Stacks, Google Photos is getting a new Activity-based personalization setting.
Expand Expanding CloseBack in October, Google Photos started rolling out a native Android 14 share sheet instead of its custom implementation, and we’re not seeing it widely available on Pixel phones.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Photos announced “Photo Stacks” in November and it’s now starting to roll out on Android after first debuting on iOS.
Expand Expanding CloseBusiness cards, receipts, signs, etc. We’ve all taken pictures of these for safekeeping only to have to dig through our library to find them later. Google Photos already has a “Documents” section to help speed that update, but now the app seems to be adding support for better controls over what photos do and do not appear in it.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle is officially rolling out support for Google Photos and other cloud backup apps in the Android photo picker.
Expand Expanding CloseUltraHDR is a big new feature of the latest flagship Android phones, and with its first software update, the OnePlus 12 is adding its “ProXDR” to the Google Photos app.
Expand Expanding CloseVideo Boost is in the process of rolling out to Google’s Pixel 8 Pro, with the promise of much better video quality after Google gets a chance to process your recordings. Video Boost is an impressive feature, but in our time testing it so far, Night Sight Video is clearly the most impressive point Google has for this Pixel 8 Pro-exclusive feature.
Expand Expanding CloseIt may soon be easier to pull pictures from your Google Photos library into Android apps, as a new change in the system’s photo picker will integrate with cloud storage apps.
Expand Expanding CloseLarge language models (LLMs) will make possible a slew of new capabilities in consumer apps over the coming years. Google has explored creating a personalized chatbot that can “answer previously impossible questions” about your life by setting LLMs loose on your Google Photos library and other sources.
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