Google Photos is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a fresh update — and it’s all about making your memories easier to edit and share. With over 1.5 billion monthly users and more than 9 trillion images and videos stored, the app has become one of Google’s most used services.
To mark the milestone, Google has added new AI-powered editing tools and improved album sharing. The update brings features once limited to Pixel phones to all users. Now, you can use Reimagine, which lets you select part of an image and change it, remove objects, or add new elements using a text prompt. Another tool, Auto Frame, adjusts the photo’s composition automatically and fills in missing parts with AI.
The editor itself is getting a redesign. All tools will now be in one place, with AI offering smart suggestions to enhance your photos. You can even tap or circle parts of an image for targeted editing help.
On the sharing front, Google is introducing QR codes for albums. This makes it easier to share photos with a group — just scan the code to view or add images. It’s a handy upgrade for parties, events, or collaborative albums, and builds on a feature that already sees over 440 million uses per month.
Google Photos first launched in 2015, promising free storage for compressed images. That changed in 2021, when the company limited free storage to 15GB, shared across Gmail and Drive. Still, its seamless backups and powerful search features have kept users loyal.
As Google shifts its products into the AI era, Photos is now positioned as a key player. With over 210 million images edited each month, the new tools could become some of Google’s most widely used AI features yet.
Happy 10th, Google Photos — here’s to smarter memories.
