Google Photos revamped to include auto-archive, event reminders, and more
Google Photos is the default photo management option for many people, and it appears Google is rolling out some changes to improve the user experience for storing pictures, as well as some additional features.
Perhaps the biggest change comes in how documents are handled within the app. There are quite a few different apps available to help organize digital documents, but in an update that's appearing for some users, Google is making it easier and more secure to manage important papers or information. These changes were first spotted by TheSpaAndroid.
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For starters, the Documents section of the app is getting a UI redesign. Currently, pulling up the Documents category displays a grid of categories that photos or scans of documents can be assigned to: Screenshots, Posters, Documents, Greeting cards, Handwriting, Signs, Receipts, Text messaging, Notebook, Book Cover, Identity document, Menus, and Recipes.
The redesigned UI will feature fewer but more specific categories, including Screenshots, Books & magazines, Event information, Identity, Notes, Payment methods, Receipts, Recipes & menus, and Social.
Another tweak to documents comes in the form of security. At present, there's no auto-archiving of potentially sensitive information. But in the update, there's an option within each document subcategory to automatically archive anything that appears in that folder after 30 days. This doesn't mean those photos are deleted -- they'll just stop showing up in Photos view. They'll still be available in search or in the archive folder.
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The documents section of Google Photos can be accessed by tapping on "Library" at the bottom of the app's home screen, then scrolling through the categories under "Photos on Device" until you see that folder.
Additionally, Google is introducing a new "Stacks" feature that groups similar shots together to help clean up your library. If you're someone who takes multiple photos of the same scene to find the perfect photo, this will be an especially useful option. A "Top Pick" will be automatically selected and shown as the cover photo, and there's a "Keep This, Delete Rest" option to keep the best picture from the stack and get rid of the rest.
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It also appears Photos is getting a Google Calendar integration. If Google detects that a photo mentions a time and date, a button will be displayed to set a calendar reminder about this event with a field to type more reminder text. This feature isn't available to any users yet but is showing up deep in the code for the latest version of Photos, meaning it's probably not far off.
There's no word on when these updated features will roll out to all users, but they're all expected to be available soon.