Google Photos approaches media powerhouse status with new Apple TV compatibility

By Hillary K. Grigonis Published April 28, 2017

Google Photos has finally made its big-screen debut, as an iOS update released Monday, April 24, brings the ability to wirelessly send media to an Apple TV using AirPlay. While the Apple TV compatibility isn’t available on Android, since it’s an Apple-To-Apples wireless system, Android Google Photos users have a few new editing options with an update released the same day.

With the iOS update, version 2.14.0 can send both photos and video to a TV paired with an Apple TV media player. The feature is made possible by Apple’s AirPlay, a tool that allows for wireless data sharing or even screen sharing between iOS devices.

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While AirPlay has allowed Apple users to send videos to the TV from their smartphone using the iPhone’s Control Center, the Google Photos capability brings the feature to photos and videos that aren’t stored directly on the smartphone. Google Photos is a popular app largely because storing 16 megapixel images and 1080p videos is free — and frees up space on your smartphone to add more new photos or apps.

The app has been praised as a free backup solution for photos and video since its launch in 2015, but Google has been working to make the app more than just a back-up solution. The app is bulking up as a mobile photo editor, too, with recent updates bringing the ability to automatically correct white balance or even stabilize Apple Live Photos.

Outside of the backup and editing features, the app also aims to organize media using Google-search style features. Artificial intelligence has boosted the platform’s capabilities, making it possible to find all the photos of the same person, automatically generate albums, or search photos even without manually adding tags. The platform also offers Facebook Memories inspired features, but works with every photo, even the ones that were not shared publicly.

Along with the Apple TV compatibility, the latest iOS update also includes enhanced performance.

An Android update released the same day brings new filters to enhance photos in one touch, along with more advanced editing options such as adjusting lighting and color. Android users also now have more options for automatically generating movies from related still photos.

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Hillary K. Grigonis

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…

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