Back in April, we got a first look at a new “favorites” feature in Google Photos that was still in development thanks to our APK Insight. Surprisingly, Google didn’t announce this new functionality at its developer conference when it showed off other new AI features, but it is now rolling out, starting this week.
In the midst of a bunch of other announcements at Google I/O last week, there was a quick reveal that Google Photos would be getting some new “suggestions” which could make tasks with your photos a bit easier. Now, Google is rolling a few of those out.
Back at Google I/O 2017, the company showed off a cool new image obstruction removal feature that Sundar said would be coming “very soon.” Obviously, it never shipped. And today, with I/O 2018 behind us, there’s still no solid word on when it will arrive. We did get a chance to talk to Google about it, though, and they gave us some answers — although we’re not sure how valuable they are.
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During the I/O 2018 keynote, Google announced several new smart AI editing features coming soon to Photos. Not even 24 hours after the end of the conference, many of these new features appear to be rolling out.
Google I/O is well underway today, and in the company’s keynote to kick off the annual event, CEO Sundar Pichai discussed how things have progressed over the past year. So, let’s take a look at some of the numbers he talked about.
Google took the stage at I/O 2018 and announced that it will be adding new AI and automated suggestions for editing backed up images. These new recommendations are called Suggested Actions…
As expected, Google has today announced a partner program for Google Photos. The program will give developers access to “tools and APIs” to build products that work with Photos.
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Google Photos is undoubtedly one of Google’s most successful software products of the last few years; it has quickly become the go-to photo storing and sharing platform for many iOS and Android users alike. And with that, a notable presence at I/O, as has been the case in years past (Photos was announced at I/O 2015, by the way), is perhaps expected for I/O 2018.
Here’s some of what we think might be coming for Photos this year based on information from our APK Insight series and various sources familiar with the company’s plans…
Following the launch of Photos in May 2015, Google began winding down similar functionality in Google+. A full deprecation of the remaining backup feature is now set for next month as older versions of the Android and iOS apps will stop working.
In addition to rolling out a more advanced movie editor this morning, Google Photos is also introducing a minor reorganization to the bottom bar today. The backup service is interestingly prioritizing the app’s main view at the expense of Assistant.
Google Photos for Android is rolling out new movie editing tools today that are centered around the concept of simultaneously manipulating multiple clips. With a simplified design, it also gains more advanced editing options that make for a powerful mobile experience.
At Mobile World Congress 2018, Google announced a wider rollout for Lens in both Assistant and Photos, and new features like improved support for recognizing animals. This ability to recognize different cat and dog breeds is now going live for users.
The updated list of I/O 2018 sessions yesterday hinted at “exciting updates” for Google Photos at the annual developer conference in May. Till then, version 3.18 is rolling out with work continuing on liking photos and videos in shared albums, more precise archiving, and possible Cardboard Camera integration.
With I/O 2018 kicking off in under a month, Google has added new sessions, office hours, and other events to the schedule. New entires hint at “exciting” Google Photos updates, the launch of the .app domain, and more.
Google’s Pixel is the home of a lot of crazy camera technology that no one else in the industry has really beaten. The biggest example being Google’s incredible portrait mode, which uses software to create some of the best portraits in the industry. However, there’s one feature that was supposed to arrive, but never did — image obstruction removal.
In our teardown of Google Photos 3.15 late last month, we spotted the development of a GIF export feature. It is now live, and as we speculated is for Motion Photos on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.
Google Photos is absolutely one of the company’s most powerful services, and also one of its most useful. Google is constantly working on improving the service with various features, and recently it’s started listing the locations you visited on a specific date, right alongside the divider for that date.
Google’s AI is extremely powerful, and there’s no better showcase for that than the Google Assistant. Its most recent trick, Google Lens, debuted shortly after the Pixel 2’s launch, and now it’s finally rolling out to all users. Sort of…
The latest version of Google Photos is rolling out today with some minor visual changes already live. However, version 3.15 hints at the wider release of Google Lens to all Android devices, liking content in Shared albums, and a possible GIF export option.
In addition to a bevy of Assistant news ahead of MWC 2018, Google Lens is also gaining a wider release and new features. Meanwhile, per a report yesterday, Google is also bringing ARCore out of beta today and touts 100 million supported devices.
Over the weekend, we were able to activate Favorites within Google Photos. Version 3.14 is now rolling out and offers more details about the long overdue feature. Meanwhile, the update hints at controls for adjusting blur that could possibly be for the Pixel 2’s Portrait Mode.
Google Photos first added strings referencing a “Favorites” feature last August. Several versions later, this staple feature found in most other gallery apps is still absent. However, with version 3.13 of the Android client, we’ve now been able to activate and use Favorites.
In the past, Google Photos has offered to automatically make movies using your backed up images for special occasions. Now, you can head into the app and request it to make those special movies whenever you like. Here’s how to make a Valentine’s Day-themed video for your significant other…
Our teardown of Google Photos last November revealed that the image backup and management service was working on letting users create their own themed movies. That feature is rolling out today and allows for the manual creation of videos that were previously automatically generated.
