Google Drive now gives access to your photos as Google+ dismantling begins

Sundar Pichai recently said in a Forbes interview that Google was going to start focusing on the core parts of Google+ (namely, Hangouts, photos, and the Google+ stream) as being three independent areas of interest. One of the first big steps towards this goal, positioning “Photos” as being its own standalone product accessible across Google services, has finally started happening today: You can now view your Google+ photos under a new “Google Photos” section in Google Drive…

The announcement, via the Google Drive blog, comes following Google’s Bradley Horowitz’ announcement earlier this month that he took over Google’s “Photos and Streams products”…

We take all kinds of photos, from pics of friends and family to snapshots of a scenic view. We also use photos for more practical purposes, like planning a wedding, remodeling a kitchen, or capturing meeting notes from a whiteboard. But while you may snap all sorts of images, your experience across Google should be seamless and consistent. That’s why starting today, the photos and videos you keep in Google+ Photos will also be available in Google Drive.

“I think increasingly you’ll see us focus on communications [Hangouts], photos and the Google+ stream as three important areas, rather than being thought of as one area,” Google’s Sundar Pichai said earlier this month. Today’s update clearly moves Google+ photos from being exclusively accessible via the company’s social network to be moreso part of your Google account as a whole. Your experience should be “seamless and consistent” across Google’s services, the company says.

To get started with the new feature, head over to the Google Drive app on Android, iOS or the web.