Google Photos’ next neat trick will let you apply filters when sharing a picture

There aren’t too many photo gallery apps on smartphones that make as much of an industry dent as Google Photos. Available across pretty much every phone and operating system imaginable, Google Photos makes it easy to not only store and view pictures on your devices, but its online accessibility and integration with Google One makes it a must-use app for Android users as well as iPhone owners. Its cloud backup feature is top-notch, and its recent Google Gemini integrations easily help its users find specific pictures wherever they are. Sharing photos directly from the app is easy, and soon, you may be able to edit them directly through the share menu.

Back in July, we reported that Google Photos’ new Enhance Photo button was in the works, making it easier to share enhanced photos with friends. Android Authority noticed in Google Photos’ latest build that new filters had been added to the Enhance Photo UI: Enhance, Warm, and Cool. Previously, only the Enhance filter was available through the Share menu. This feature has not yet rolled out to the public, but, as Android Authority noted, unless Google plans to make further adjustments or adds filters to the functionality, it could go stable soon.

The photo gallery app battle

While we’re big fans of Google Photos, we’d be lying if we said that Apple Photos didn’t have a thing or two Google could learn from. Apple Photos has more customization, Apple Music integration, and markup tools that Google Photos doesn’t have yet. Both are solid choices, especially if you have an iPhone. Unlike Google, Apple hasn’t made its photo gallery app available on Android devices. If you’ve grown tired of using Google Photos on the latest Android smartphones, there are some great alternatives on the Play Store like Flickr, Amazon Photos, and F-Stop Gallery.

Google Photos has some really cool things in the works. Back in May, Google introduced the Ask Photos tool, which utilizes AI to find pictures and videos based on prompts. Earlier in October, a limited number of people got their hands on it, and it’s pretty insane. Just today, we reported on Google’s work to update Photos’ video player UI with a more modern look and improved functionality, which is more than welcomed. Playing videos might be the worst thing about the app, but as the year has progressed, we’re starting to see Google dive headfirst into its video watching and editing user experience.