Google Photos Turns 10: Here's What’s New in the App You Probably Use Every Day

Google Photos just turned 10. If you've used an Android phone in the last decade or needed a place to back up your pictures, there's a good chance you've used it. What started in 2015 as a straightforward cloud storage tool has gradually become more of a hybrid between a photo library, search engine, and editor.

To mark the milestone, Google has introduced several new features. These updates are focused on usability - including a redesigned editor, easier sharing options, and more ways to customize what you see in the app.

A Cleaner, Smarter Editor

The photo editor in Google Photos is getting a major refresh. Instead of navigating multiple menus, you'll now find all the tools in one place. What's new is how the editor responds to different parts of an image. If you tap on the background, you'll get suggestions for things like blurring or enhancing color. Tapping a person in the frame might bring up portrait lighting or skin tone options.

Features like Reimagine, which adjusts lighting and color using AI, and Auto Frame, which helps with cropping and perspective, are now rolling out to more devices. The updated editor will reach Android phones first, with iOS users getting access later this year.

QR Codes for Sharing Albums

If you've ever tried to share an album with a group during an event, you know it can be a bit clunky. A new feature lets you generate a QR code for any album. Others can scan it to view or even add their own photos. This should make things simpler at gatherings where multiple people want to contribute pictures.

The feature is already rolling out and doesn't require any additional setup.

Smarter Search That Understands What You Mean

Search in Google Photos has always been quietly powerful, but now it's getting more natural. You can type full sentences like "me in a red jacket at the beach" or "Alice and me laughing" to find specific memories. It works better if you've labeled faces in your photo library, though it's still not perfect.

A separate voice-based feature, Ask Photos, is being tested in the U.S. It allows users to speak queries instead of typing them, though it's still in early access.

More Control Over Your Memories and Gallery

Several small but useful features are being added to help users organize their photo experience. You can now:

• Stack similar-looking photos to reduce clutter

• Hide categories like memes, screenshots, or GIFs

• Choose what kind of memories show up, and which faces or dates to exclude

These controls won't matter to everyone, but they give long-time users more say in what shows up on their home screen or memory recaps.

Don't Forget the Basics

A few existing features are still worth highlighting. You can create highlight videos by selecting people, pets, or places and letting Photos assemble a short clip with music.

Shared albums can be set to automatically update when new photos of selected people or pets are added. And the Free up space option clears locally stored items that are already backed up, which is handy if your phone is running out of room.

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