Google Photos Adds Auto Album Feature

I’ve recommended Google Photos since the service first launched last year. And this week, it’s gotten even better thanks to a new auto album feature that appears to be replacing a previous feature called stories.

This new feature is part of an ongoing series of improvements to Google Photos. And it’s interesting to note that when the service first launched, it didn’t even support albums since Google figured the service’s automatic organization capabilities were so good. But based on feedback, it added albums recently, and you can share them with others, making them collaborative.

With this week’s update, Google Photos will now auto-suggest an album after a trip or other event. It will even curate it with what it feels are the best photos, and add maps with location pins.

Given this, you may wonder how an album differs from a story, which is another Google Photos feature. To date, stories have been more interactive, and featured a scrolling, panorama-type experience, whereas albums have worked more like you’d expect if you’re familiar with other photo solutions. But now Google Photos albums feature some of the best features from stories, and stories are being phased out.

Google Photos auto albums is rolling out on Android, iOS, and the web today, Google says. I wish OneDrive offered even a tiny percentage of this service’s functionality. Actually, that is what it offers.