Google Photos is ending its perk of free unlimited storage starting on June 1, 2021. It was a huge selling point for the service for years, which, understandably, has many wishing they could keep it. The good news, though, is that Google Pixel owners will still be eligible for a few Photos perks. Let’s break it down.
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As storage changes loom, Google Photos is expanding its print offerings in Japan. Starting this week, Google Photos users in the country can get prints from 7-Eleven.
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Starting on June 1, Google Photos will make its biggest change since launch by bringing unlimited storage to an end. As most users will need to pay going forward, it begs the question, will you switch from Google Photos to another platform?
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The arrival of Android 11 brought with it the effects of Scoped Storage which, on phones that weren’t Pixels, also led to an annoying Google Photos quirk that included more prompts and “out-of-sync” warnings. On Android 12, those annoying trash prompts and more will be gone for Google Photos users on all devices.
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If you use Google Photos on a phone from Xiaomi, Oppo, and most notably from Samsung, your screenshots are probably mixed into all of your pictures. This is because of how Samsung and others store screenshots on your device, but apparently, Android 12 will force them to do it the correct way.
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Privacy was a pretty big focus of Google I/O 2021, with one of the big new announcements being a “Locked Folder” headed to Google Photos. That feature is going to be a bit more limited than you probably expected, though.
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At I/O 2021 on Tuesday, Google spent part of the keynote talking about privacy and security. It’s following that up with a prominent “We protect your privacy” message in Gmail and Google Photos.
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A really neat part of the machine learning algorithms used by Google Photos is the ability to identify similar core image traits and create the popular — and constantly evolving — Memories collections. During the I/O 2021 keynote, Google confirmed that Memories collections are set to get even more personalized, and we’ll even get 3D enhanced Cinematic photos joining the mix.
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In a privacy push at Google I/O 2021, the company has announced a couple of new tools that will be rolling out. First, the option to quickly delete the last 15 minutes of activity on your Google account and, second, a “Locked Folder” on Google Photos for Android.
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Google Photos growing Memories collections now has a caffeine-focused “Blissful buzz” selection that will showcase some of your best cups of coffee.
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Google next month will stop providing unlimited free backup in Photos. Although existing Pixel phones are exempted, future devices — as of today — will miss out on a great perk that helps emphasize the camera. An update to Google Photos today reveals apparent work on a new “Storage saver” tier that will be “free and unlimited” for Pixel.
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With the launch of the Pixel 5 and 4a 5G last year, Google also rolled out a redesigned Photos editor on Android. The video experience has since been similarly revamped, while Google Photos is now rolling out new “Sharpen” and “Denoise” tools.
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Google Photos remains one of the best places to store your pictures online, and now it’s getting a useful tweak. A silent update to the Google Photos app, at least on Android, allows users to add content to an album even when they’re offline.
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Despite incoming costs, Google Photos may remain one of the best places to store your pictures thanks to its useful search functions. Now, Google Photos is testing another useful search feature, a filter that picks out photos of documents such as receipts, business cards, and more.
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Google Photos growing AI-generated Memories collections now has a new church-centric “Silent Reflection” grouping for you to enjoy — provided you have pictures of places of worship.
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After a small initial rollout, Google Photos’ brand-new enhanced video editing tools should be live for everyone using the photo and video application on Android — but just what is new here?
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Last August, Google introduced a new video editing experience in Photos for iOS. Google Photos on Android will soon see that revamped video editor with more advanced tools and granular customization.
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Besides being its own app, Google Lens is also available in Image Search, Photos, and integrated across Android. Google is now bringing Lens to the desktop web inside Google Photos for convenient text copying through optical character recognition (OCR).
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Like the original Chromecasts that came before it, the latest model with its Google TV operating system has the ability to display your pictures from Google Photos. However, the Google Photos ambient screensaver on Chromecast has oddly just lost the dates and locations that showed along with the pictures.
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The latest Google Photos AI-powered Memories collection is now highlighting gigs, concerts, and outdoor shows as part of the “In the spotlight” collection — as if the lack of festivals across the globe isn’t depressing enough on its own.
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Google Photos has gone through some serious alterations and edits over the years, but the latest minor but appreciated change is the addition of labels to each of the editing tool icons.
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A brand-new addition to the growing Google Photos Memories collections might have you gasping for a beer as it highlights the best pulled pints and potentially saying “cheers.”
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Google Lens has long been part of Google Photos to help you visually search images. On Android, Google Lens is now a more prominent part of Photos by identifying what pictures would benefit from the analysis and search tool.
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Following last year’s big Android and iOS revamp, Google Photos on the web is getting a matching “Explore” tab and “Favorites” shortcut.
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