Google Photos is getting a cool new feature to speed up your photo edits

By Bryan M. Wolfe Published December 20, 2024

Google Photos' year in review feature for 2024. — Bryan Wolfe / Digital Trends

Google Photos for Android is introducing a new feature that simplifies photo editing right before sharing. A tipster from Android Authority first reported this tool.

The new “Quick Edit” tool lets users easily enhance or crop individual photos before sharing them. It features an “Enhance” button, which functions similarly to the “Enhance” effect in the standard photo-editing options. A crop button is also similar to the one in the regular photo editor. When multiple photos are selected before hitting the share button, the typical share sheet appears instead of the new “Quick Edit” screen.

Recommended Videos

Simple, one-click photo enhancement tools in Google Photos are not new. At least four different options are currently available. The Enhance tool automatically analyzes your photo and adjusts the brightness, contrast, and color. Suggested Edits may also appear, providing personalized recommendations such as cropping or rotating that can be applied with just one click.

Google Photos Quick Edit screenshots. — Android Authority

You can also apply various filters instantly to change the mood and style of your image. Basic adjustments like Crop and Rotate are available with a single click, offering presets for common aspect ratios.

The tipster says the new Quick Edit tool works on his Pixel 6 Pro running version 7.10.0 of the Google Photos app. Interestingly, my Pixel 9 Pro XL is running Google Photos 7.11.0, and I don’t see the new feature, so perhaps it’s coming to Android devices on a rolling basis.

Google Photos is accessible on various devices. In addition to Android, the Google Photos app can be found in the App Store for iPhone and iPad. It is also available on the web.

Former Mobile and A/V Freelancer

Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.

Topics

Mobile

Magic Editor not working in your Google Photos? A fix is on the way

Reimagine tool in Magic Editor on mobile.

The Magic Editor feature on Google Photos is a handy way to use AI to edit the images taken on your phone (though not everyone loves the results), but over the last few months some users have been reporting problems using the editor. Now, Google has acknowledged the problems and announced it is rolling out a fix, so if you're having problems with the editor then you should be able to use it as normal again soon.

Problems with Magic Editor were raised by users on Reddit as far back as November last year, with similar complaints appearing on Google's official Photos form in December. Some users found that after making edits with the Magic Editor tool, they were unable to save their images. The issue seemed to be intermittent, particularly affecting photos taken from the Screenshot folder and then edited in the Magic Editor.

Mobile

Google’s Call Notes feature could be getting even better

A woman holding a purple Google Pixel 9a.

The Google Pixel 9 series introduced the Call Notes feature, which finally allowed users to record phone calls on their devices. Call Notes uses AI to summarize the main points of a call, generate a transcript, and provide an audio recording. Now the folks over at Android Authority have discovered another feature that could be coming soon.

Specifically, two lines of code suggest you could potentially and share full call transcripts. This would be particularly helpful for someone conducting interviews for research, or even for hiring managers that perform phone interviews. Users could quickly search for keywords and extract the most important information from a call.

Mobile

Google Gemini’s image toolset might add important new feature

Google Gemini on an iPhone.

Google Gemini is constantly enhancing its features. One area that may see improvements soon is the ability to import images. Currently, Gemini allows users to import only one image or file at a time when providing context for search queries. If users try to add another file, they are prompted to replace the existing one instead of being able to upload multiple files.

According to Android Authority, Google is working on an upgrade to this functionality. Soon, users might be able to upload multiple images to Gemini simultaneously.