Google Photos Gets Simplified Sharing, Improved Creations

Google Photos for Android, iPhone and the web is being updated today with improved photo sharing capabilities. And it works well whether those you’re sharing with use Google Photos or not.

“Sharing all the photos from your weekend with friends can be hard: Not everyone uses the same apps, texting can be slow, and email has attachment limits,” Google Photos product lead David Lieb explains.

So now Google Photos supports a simple new Share feature: Just select the photos you want to share and then select the people you wish to share them with. (You can still use your phone’s built-in Share functionality too, of course.)

If they use Google Photos, great, they’ll get a notification from the app, and the shared photos will appear in their collection. If not, they will get a hyperlink via a text message or an email.

“So you can spend less time toggling from app to app to share photos — dealing with failed texts or email attachment limits along the way — and more time enjoying life’s photo-worthy moments,” Lieb writes.

In addition to the new Share functionality, Google is also updating the automatic creation feature in Google Photos. This feature makes movies out of your recently uploaded photos.

“Now we’re going further, with new movies that are based on creative concepts — the kinds of movies you might make yourself, if you just had the time,” Lieb writes. “And they’re not only limited to your most recent uploads.”

Google says it will roll out a few more creative concepts this week, and that more are coming soon. “Look out for a concept to commemorate the good times from this summer, and another one for formal events like weddings,” Lieb explains. “And you don’t need to do a thing — these movies get made automatically for you.”

Here’s a Google-provided example:

Google Photos remains highly recommended. It’s my favorite photo service by far.