Google Photos could soon get a boost to its social side with a recently discovered sharing feed and an improvement to the UI when trying to clear up some space.
This revelation comes from a recent APK teardown by Android Authority and AssembleDebug, who enabled the features in version 6.85.0.637477501 of the Google Photos app for Android. The first change replaces the current sharing icon with a notification icon. Tapping this new icon will take you to a new “sharing activity” page, which reportedly serves as a social notification feed.
The new feed will alert users when their albums and images receive likes or comments, and if someone adds a new image. The discovered code strings also suggest that the feed will notify users when they've been added to a group, and the name of the person who added you. It is unclear if this will include being added as a favorite contact.
It should be noted that it does not appear that the current “shared links” page isn’t being removed. The option will still be available by selecting the three dots in the top right corner.
Google Photos storage changes
The APK teardown also revealed a new way for users to track how much storage space they can save on the app. According to the report, a new meter appears whenever you select a category in the "review and delete" section of the manage storage page. The purpose of the meter is to show exactly how much space can be saved by following the app's suggestions on what to delete.
This is the second storage-saving feature that's been found in the code lines for the Google Photos app on Android phones. This feature, currently only available on the desktop version of Google Photos, lowers the quality of backed-up images, reducing the overall amount of space they take up. However, the quality change is permanent, so it might turn some users away.
Google has been working to add new features to Google Photos since its inception, and the slow push to make it more social could help to draw in new users. We have a guide for how to use Google Photos if you want to try out the app. However, if you dislike the changes then we have a list of the best alternatives to Google Photos.
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Josh is a staff writer for Tom's Guide and is based in the UK. He has worked for several publications but now works primarily on mobile phones. Outside of phones, he has a passion for video games, novels, and Warhammer.
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Google Photos makes it easy for you to add photos to your personal website or online portfolio, have your photos automatically delivered to you, and backup your professional wedding photography to Google Photos. Take your photos from your library to your home with the latest smart displays that work with Google Photos.
If you remove copies of photos and videos on your Android device, they're now deleted but, you still can: See your photos and videos, including the ones you just removed, in the Google Photos app and photos.google.com. Edit, share, delete, and manage anything in your Google Photos library.
Overall Google Photos is fairly secure. It doesn't automatically post your photos for everyone to see. People won't be able to google for them. The pictures that you upload are only viewable by you — unless, of course, you share them with other people.
Are Google photos safe and private? Google Photos keeps your private photos & videos safe. Encryption keeps data private and secure while in transit. When you store your photos, the data you create moves between your device, Google services, and our data centers.
If you stay inactive for 2 years or more: Your photos and videos are deleted and sent to trash. Backed up photos and videos deleted due to inactivity will stay in your trash for 60 days before they're deleted forever.
Google Photos is an Editors' Choice winner, highly recommended to anyone who wants to easily find photos, edit their pictures quickly and easily, and back up everything to the cloud.
It allows you to upload your gallery to the cloud automatically via Wi-Fi or cellular data. It also shows the names of the people present in photos. Even if you accidentally lose your phone, you can still access your stored photos and videos once you install the app in your new phone and log into your Google account.
All the photos you take on your phone can be backed up and saved to your Google Account, so you can find them on any device where you're signed in. info Settings and features vary by device and Android version. The steps might be different on your phone.
Google Photos isn't only an app for storing and viewing photos on your device. It's packed with new AI features such as Magic Editor and Magic Eraser. It also has multiple tricks that help you with media organization, photo and video editing, cloud backup, and seamless sharing features.
Introduction: My name is Nicola Considine CPA, I am a determined, witty, powerful, brainy, open, smiling, proud person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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