Google+ Photos app now available for all Chromebooks, not just Pixel

By Jennifer Bergen August 21, 2013

chromebook-google-photos-app — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Good news for those of you thinking of buying a Chromebook (possibly one of the upcoming rumored Asus models?) but were a little put off by the fact that only the elite Chromebook Pixel includes the Google+ Photos app. Google announced yesterday that its Google+ Photos app is now available for all Chromebooks in the Chrome Web Store.

According to a blog post by Google’s Steve McKay, the Google+ Photos app was released this summer exclusively for Chromebook Pixel. Whether it’s to boost the sales of its Chromebooks or to appease those who already own the non-Pixel flavors, Google’s bringing the app to all – and in 52 languages at that.

In case you’re not familiar, the Chromebook is an Internet-dependent laptop that’s powered by Google’s Chrome operating system. All of the apps that run on the Chromebook are Web apps – including email, documents, music, etc., – so, unless you’ve downloaded those files to your computer in advance, you won’t have access to them when not connected to the Internet.

However, Google+ Photos can help, at least in the photos area. When you plug an SD card into your Chromebook, the Google+ Photos app will automatically begin backing up your photos to Google+. Don’t worry; they won’t be made public until you give your permission. With the Google+ Photos app, the your most recent photos are automatically placed on your computer so you can still view them when you’re offline.

Another cool feature is that Google will pick what it thinks are the top shots from your uploaded photos, and will highlight them while backing up your shots. The app also lets you share individual photos, a set of photos, or an entire album “within seconds.”

Got a Chromebook? Head over to the Chrome Web Store to download the Google+ Photos app now.

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Jennifer Bergen

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Jennifer Bergen is the Computing Section Editor at Digital Trends and is in charge of all things laptops, desktops, and their…

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