Google Adds Google Photos to the Android Photo Picker

I’ve long wondered why we don’t have a more modern “File Open” capability that supports cloud photo and storage services. But now Google is taking a first step towards this obvious need by adding Google Photos support to the Android Photo Picker.

“Our photo picker has always been the gateway to your local media library, providing a secure, date-sorted interface for users to grant apps access to selected images and videos,” Google’s Roxanna Aliabadi Walker writes in a new post to the Android Developers Blog. “But now, we’re taking it a step further by integrating cloud photos from your chosen cloud media app directly into the photo picker experience.”

On Android, cloud photos, albums, and favorites will now be displayed alongside local images in the native Photo Picker. You can see this functionality in action in Google Photos now, but it’s available to all developers and can be used by any app that meets Google’s pilot program requirements. The new Photo Picker works on OS versions back to Android 4.4, but you will need Android 12 or higher to access cloud content. It’s rolling out now with the February Google System Update on Android 12 and newer.

You can learn more on the Android Developers website.