GoKawiil
Tech News
Google has widened availability of several Google Photos features, according to a company blog post. The Redact tool for blurring sensitive image details and the AI-powered Moods filter presets are now rolling out globally on Android, while AI Wardrobe and Video Remix are expanding to more users in the US, India, and Brazil.
Google is rolling out a new Redact feature within Google Photos' Markup tools, letting users pixelate license plates or other sensitive content in images. The update also brings new fonts and thickness sliders for pens and highlighters, and is available to all Android users globally. Google separately expanded Wardrobe, Gemini Spark image editing, Moods filters, and 15 new Remix templates to more users in select countries.
Google has expanded its AI-powered virtual closet feature in Google Photos to all iOS and Android users in the United States, Brazil, and India, after first launching on Android in June. The tool scans photos of outfits to build a digital wardrobe that users can sort by category and mix into new combinations. Google also rolled out related Photos updates, including Gemini Spark prompts, an upgraded Markup tool, and new AI photo filters called Moods for Android.
Android Authority tested Google Photos' new AI-powered digital wardrobe, which scans users' photo libraries to catalog their clothing and lets them virtually mix and match outfits using generative AI. The feature is rolling out gradually to paid Google One and AI subscribers in the US, Brazil, and India, but the reviewer found it plagued by inconsistent behavior, including problems tied to Google Workspace accounts. While the clothing-recognition AI performed impressively, the overall experience was described as unreliable and unfinished.
A longtime Immich user has switched to Noodle Gallery, an open-source fork of the self-hosted Google Photos alternative, after running into limits when trying to share photo libraries and metadata with family members. The new tool preserves core Immich functionality while adding features tailored to multi-user households. Migration is designed to be simple, letting existing Immich users swap container images in their Docker setup while keeping their existing database, photos and albums intact.
Samsung is rolling out a new option letting Gallery app users sync photos and videos directly to Google Photos, replacing the native Microsoft OneDrive integration that shuts down September 30. The feature requires a compatible Samsung phone running Android 13 or later and a personal (non-Workspace, non-supervised) Google account, and is rolling out gradually with availability varying by device, region and account type.
Samsung has started rolling out a Google Photos integration within its Gallery app, adding a new 'Sync photos and videos' option under settings that lets users automatically back up their photos and videos through Google's cloud service. The rollout follows Samsung's earlier confirmation that it was ending its OneDrive backup partnership with Microsoft in favor of a new deal with Google, and the feature is currently appearing for some users on Samsung Gallery version 15.9.01.7.
Android Authority found new code in Google Photos version 7.93.0 that adds direct Copy and Download options to the app's QR code sharing screen for albums. Currently, the app only lets users take a screenshot of the generated code to share it, but this hidden feature would let them save or copy the code directly instead.
Google is developing a new toggle within Google Photos that would let users display all photos and videos in their home feed at a consistent, identical thumbnail size. The feature appears to still be in development and has not yet rolled out broadly to users.
Google's storage warnings push many users toward paid upgrades, but much of the used space in Gmail, Drive, and Photos can be reclaimed by clearing out large attachments, duplicate files, and unnecessary backups. A few targeted cleanup steps can free up meaningful space across the shared 15GB storage pool in minutes.
Google is shortening the grace period for deleted photos backed up to Google Photos from 60 days down to 30 days, matching the retention limit already used for locally stored images. The company has updated its support documentation and started notifying Android users within the app about the change.
Google Photos is expanding two features: a virtual wardrobe tool that scans users' photos to catalog clothing items and suggest outfit combinations, complete with an AI-generated try-on preview, and Manual Photo Stacks, which lets Android users group selected photos together for easier organization. The wardrobe tool had a slow initial rollout since April but is now being pushed more broadly across the US, while Manual Photo Stacks finally arrives on Android after being available on iOS for nearly a year.