Google Photos is finally letting users share photos directly through a messenger service, instead of making them go through myriad steps to create a shared album. This private messaging feature will be built into Google Photos iOS and Android mobile and the website.
Now, you can send a photo message to anyone in your contacts, as long as they have Google Photos installed, too. It works just like Instagram, Snapchat, SMS or any other chat app: you can start a conversation, react to the photos with likes and respond with a photo.
Photos are already a mode of communication on other social platforms. Google Photos is recognizing images can be a starting point for conversations and wants to make that easier for users.
This might mean Google Photos is shifting into a more social application, which could earn it new users. Google Photos relaunched in 2015 when Google added free online storage, making it the ideal location to save photos of family, vacations, and more — especially if you’re using a smartphone.
With the new share-chat feature it’s possible to start group chats with the same benefits as an individual chat. New chats can be created by selecting share under a photo from Google Photos’ main library, while existing chats can now be accessed from the “Share” tab.
“This feature isn’t designed to replace any chat apps you already use, but we do hope it improves sharing memories with your friends and family in Google Photos,” platform Product Manager Janvi Shah explained in a blog post. “This is gradually rolling out over the next week and, as always, you can share these photos with your friends and family across all platform — Android, iOS and the web — without any loss in image quality from the photos you backed up.”
Google announced earlier this year that Google Photos was its ninth product to hit one billion users. With this new social feature, they’re becoming even more competitive in the media market.
Google Photos Messenger — Sources
The Verge
Google Photos blog
