Google Photos launches “Ask Photos” early access, adds natural language and Google Maps crashes for some Android users
Top 3 Key Points:
- Ask Photos: Google Photos introduces a conversational search powered by Gemini AI to find specific memories using natural language.
- Classic Search Enhancements: Google Photos upgrades with natural language search and a new “Best Match” feature to refine results.
- Google Maps Issue: Some Android users report Google Maps crashing on newer app versions across various devices.
Google Photos is rolling out its new feature, Ask Photos, to a limited number of users in the U.S. on Android and iOS. This feature was first announced at I/O 2024 and is now in early access.
What is Ask Photos?
Ask Photos is a conversational tool that uses AI models (Gemini) to understand the context of your photo gallery. It helps you find specific memories or details by analyzing images and answering questions in everyday language. For example, you could ask, “Where did we camp last time we went to Yosemite?” or “What did we eat at the hotel in Stanley?” The AI can detect details like locations and objects in your pictures, providing an intuitive way to look up past events.
Once enabled, a new “Ask” tab appears in Google Photos. Users can type natural language queries, similar to chatting with a virtual assistant. You can also switch back to the traditional “classic search” if needed.
Google emphasizes privacy and security, assuring that your Google Photos data is not used for advertising. Human reviews of search queries are disconnected from user accounts to ensure privacy.
Classic Search Improvements
In addition to Ask Photos, Google Photos’ classic search has been updated with new features like “Best Match” and support for natural language queries. For example, you can search for phrases like “Alice and me laughing” or “Emma painting in the backyard” to find relevant photos more easily. Instead of showing results in reverse chronological order, it now surfaces the best-matching photos first, while still allowing you to view the most recent images if needed. These updates are available in English and will expand to more languages soon.
Google Maps Crashing on Android
In the past few hours, many Android users have reported crashes with Google Maps. The app opens normally but closes unexpectedly within seconds, rendering it unusable. This issue is being seen on app versions 11.144.x and 11.145.x across multiple devices, including Pixel and Samsung Galaxy phones. The problem seems to affect both stable and beta versions of Google Maps, with Android 15 Beta users experiencing it more frequently. Some users have resolved the issue by uninstalling updates and reverting to older versions of the app.
These updates represent a significant step forward in improving user experience but with some technical challenges along the way.