Google Photos has introduced a new feature that will make it easier to find specific photos and videos. On Thursday, the Mountain View-based tech giant announced the launch of Descriptive Queries, an enhanced version of the app’s native search feature. With this, users can type a query in plain language and find more specific results. This feature is rolling out to all iOS and Android users. Notably, the company is also giving US users early access to a first-of-its-kind AI-powered Ask Photos feature that uses Gemini to find images.
Google Photos Updated with Support for Descriptive Queries
In a blog post, the tech giant announced the descriptive queries feature. The feature is an enhancement to Google Photos' native search function, which is present at the bottom of the app. Previously, users could search for specific images by adding relevant keywords. However, it was not possible to further refine the search results.
But with the improvement, users can type natural language search queries — which can be up to a sentence long — to find specific images and videos. For example, if they search for “Alice and I laughing” or “Kayaking on a lake surrounded by mountains,” they’ll get relevant results. Google said users can also use vague language in their search queries.
It's worth noting that this isn't a feature developed by Gemini and is being rolled out to all iOS and Android users. However, descriptive queries will only work when the user's smartphone language is set to English. Google says the search experience will be expanded to more languages in the coming weeks.
Additionally, Google Photos will also allow users to sort results by date or relevance, which can make finding the right image even easier.
Google is also launching early access to a recently introduced AI-powered feature for searching for images and videos in the app, called Ask Photos. Developed by Gemini, it allows users to use AI by typing conversational prompts. Gemini uses computer vision to process users’ Google Photos library and find relevant images.
This is an experimental feature that is part of Google Labs. It is currently available in early access for select users in the United States. The company said it will be expanded to more users later this year.