Back in September, Google introduced a slate of new Photos features, including story-like “Memories” and more printing options. Google Photos today is rolling out a built-in chat messaging service for mobile and desktop.
This messaging solution lets you have an “ongoing, private conversation in the app” when you “share one-off photos and videos.” It appears alongside existing app sharing options as a new “Send in Google Photos” carousel.
You’ve always been able to share individual photos through the app by creating an album for a single photo and sharing the link. But we’ve heard from some of you that this could be a simpler experience.
It supports one-to-one conversations and creating groups, while you can search for Google Photos users you know. After selecting a recipient, you can “Say something” with your image, while the thread also features read receipts. When others send an image, you can quickly “Save to library,” comment, and like with hearts.
According to Google, this “feature isn’t designed to replace the chat apps you already use.” It joins existing first-party social features like live albums and shared libraries/albums.
While there’s inherent cynicism in Google releasing another app-specific chat service — RIP YouTube Messages, Photos has a good track record of releasing useful features and is beloved by many. That said, it’s questionable whether people will use a built-in feature rather than just sticking to where their existing conversations are.
Google Photos chat messaging is rolling out gradually over the next week and will be available on Android, iOS, and the web.
More about Google Photos:
- Facebook’s latest tool lets you transfer your media to Google Photos
- Some Google Photos users missing hold-and-drag gesture for fast selection
- Google Photos replacing ‘Assistant’ tab with ‘For you’ and ‘Manage your library’
Author: Abner Li
Source: 9TO5Google
