Google Photos is a photo and video sharing and storage service by Google. Its core features were previously embedded within Google+, the company's social network. The new Google Photos includes unlimited photo and video storage, and apps for Android, iOS, and the browser.[1] Users back up their photos to the cloud service, and become accessible between all of their devices connected to the service.[2]
The Photos service analyzes and organizes images into groups and can identify features such as beaches, skylines, or "snowstorms in Toronto".[1] From the application's search window, users are shown potential searches for groups of photos in three major categories: People, Places, and Things.[2] The service analyzes photos for similar faces and groups them together in the People category.[2] It can also group faces as they age.[1] The Places category uses geotagging data but can also determine locations in older pictures by analyzing for major landmarks (e.g., photos containing the Eiffel Tower).[2] The Things category processes photos for their subject matter: birthdays, buildings, cats, concerts, food, graduations, posters, screenshots, etc. Users can manually remove categorization errors.[2]
Recipients of shared images can view web galleries without needing to download the app.[1] Users can swipe their fingers across the screen to adjust the service's photo editing settings, as opposed to using sliders.[3] Images can be easily shared with social networks (Google+, Facebook, Twitter) and other services. The application generates web links that both Google Photos users and non-users can access.[2]
The unlimited storage supports images up to 16 megapixels and videos up to 1080p,[1] the maximum resolutions for average smartphone users in 2015.[2] Larger files use Google Drive storage space.[1] Larger photographs, typically taken by DSLR cameras, can be uploaded manually through the Google Chrome web browser,[4] or by using an app like Syncdocs which can directly transfer camera memory card photographs to Google Photos.[5]