Google Photos: 8 missing features power users wish for

At a glance:

• Google Photos lacks a native Google TV app, forcing users to rely on casting which can be laggy and incomplete
• Power users desire more robust duplicate detection, better search filters, and the ability to manually tag photos even when faces aren't recognized
• Storage optimization features like batch converting Motion photos to stills and backup controls while charging are missing from the current platform

The growing pains of a photo library

For many users, Google Photos has become the cornerstone of digital memory preservation. With storage capacities that expand with time and Google's powerful AI organization features, it's no wonder that some users have amassed libraries exceeding 50,000 photos. However, as these libraries grow, so do the limitations of the platform. What began as a simple photo storage solution has evolved into a complex media management system that increasingly requires more sophisticated features to meet the needs of power users. The disconnect between Google Photos' current capabilities and what users actually need has become more apparent as the platform matures.

The author's personal experience highlights this evolution perfectly. Having relied on Google Photos since its inception, they've developed a workflow that combines cloud storage with local backups on a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device. This dual approach speaks to the trust users place in Google's infrastructure while simultaneously acknowledging the need for redundancy. As the platform has grown, so too have the expectations of its most dedicated users, who now seek more granular control over their digital memories without sacrificing the convenience that made Google Photos popular in the first place.

Beyond casting: A native Google TV experience

One of the most glaring omissions in Google Photos' feature set is the absence of a dedicated application for Google TV. While users can currently cast photos and videos from their phones or computers to their televisions, this method comes with significant limitations. Casting often experiences hiccups and lag, providing a subpar viewing experience that doesn't leverage the full potential of Google's ecosystem. The alternative—using photos as screensavers—offers only a fraction of the functionality that a proper native application would provide.

A native Google Photos app for Google TV would revolutionize how users share and enjoy their memories. Instead of juggling multiple devices, users could browse their entire photo library directly on their television screen. This would include viewing grouped photos by people or locations, accessing memories, and even leveraging Google's AI assistant Gemini to search through collections verbally. The experience would be faster than casting and would allow users to navigate their libraries using their physical Google TV remote, eliminating the need to constantly look down at a phone. Such an app would transform Google TV from a media consumption device into a digital photo frame capable of showcasing family moments in the highest quality possible.

Taming the chaos: Better duplicate detection and search

As photo libraries grow exponentially, managing duplicates and finding specific images becomes increasingly challenging. Google Photos currently addresses this issue by stacking similar photos together, but this approach has significant limitations. The system doesn't distinguish between true duplicates and merely similar shots, forcing users to manually inspect each stack to determine which photos to keep. This becomes particularly problematic when the platform experiences bugs, as the author notes happened when some photos were uploaded twice, consuming valuable storage space without an efficient way to identify and remove them.

The search functionality in Google Photos, while powered by impressive AI, lacks the granular filters that power users crave. The ability to search using natural language queries like "Me in Slovenia at night with a lake" demonstrates the platform's strength, but users need more control over their search parameters. They want to filter photos based on specific criteria: images without location data, photos without timestamps, images not assigned to albums, and photos with unidentified faces. These filters would help users systematically organize their libraries, identify gaps in their metadata, and ensure that every memory is properly categorized and searchable. For users who share their libraries with family members, the ability to search within shared albums would eliminate the tedious process of scrolling through hundreds of images to find specific content.

Personalizing memories: Manual tagging and photo editing

Google Photos excels at detecting faces in photos and suggesting names for recognized individuals, but the platform falls short when it comes to manual tagging. In cases where Photos doesn't recognize a face at all—even when a person is clearly visible in an image—users have no way to manually assign a name. This limitation becomes particularly frustrating for users who want to tag photos that don't show faces but still contain recognizable individuals, such as photos of someone from behind. While Google's AI is sometimes smart enough to recognize these situations and assign photos to the correct person, it's inconsistent and doesn't provide the manual control that power users desire.

The photo editing capabilities in Google Photos have evolved significantly, but some useful features have been removed or remain inaccessible in certain versions of the platform. The perspective crop tool, which allows users to straighten photos taken at an angle, is a prime example. This tool was previously available on mobile but was removed during a redesign of the photo editor. While it was later brought back, it's notably absent from the web version of Google Photos, which is where many users prefer to perform more detailed editing work. The lack of this tool on the web platform is particularly puzzling given that it would benefit from the precision of a mouse compared to touch controls on a mobile device.

Optimizing storage: Motion photos and backup controls

Motion photos, a feature exclusive to Google's Pixel devices, offer an interesting compromise between still images and videos by capturing a brief video clip around the moment of photo capture. While these can capture candid moments that still photos might miss, they consume significantly more storage space than regular photos. The current process for converting Motion photos to stills is cumbersome: users must export the Motion photo as a still image and then manually delete the original file, all while doing this one photo at a time. This inefficiency becomes particularly problematic for users with large libraries containing numerous Motion photos that they'd prefer to convert to save space.

Backup controls in Google Photos also leave much to be desired. While users can specify connectivity requirements—such as backing up only on Wi-Fi, limiting data usage, or disabling video backups on mobile data—they have no control over battery state. This becomes a significant issue for travelers who want to back up photos when they find a Wi-Fi connection but don't want to drain their phone's battery in the process. The ability to limit backups to when the phone is charging would provide users with greater control over their device's battery life while still ensuring their memories are safely backed up. This feature would be particularly valuable for users who frequently travel and rely on battery-intensive activities like VPN usage alongside photo backups.

The future of Google Photos: Video editing and beyond

Google Photos' video editing capabilities have improved significantly in recent years, offering basic functions like cropping, color adjustments, trimming, audio controls, and speed variations. However, as video content becomes increasingly important in social media sharing—particularly with the rise of platforms like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels—users are demanding more sophisticated editing tools directly within Google Photos. Features like automatic captions, which could be generated using Google's on-device AI technology, would make sharing videos more accessible and engaging. Additional capabilities like adding opening thumbnails, end-credit photos, mid-video stills with animations, and advanced cuts would elevate Google Photos from a simple gallery to a comprehensive video editing platform.

The suggestion to implement CapCut-like editing functionality acknowledges a growing trend in the digital media landscape. As dedicated video editing apps become more complex and user-unfriendly, there's an opportunity for Google Photos to fill this gap by providing intuitive yet powerful editing tools directly within the platform where users already store their media. This could be implemented either as an integrated feature or as a companion app, allowing users to create polished video content without switching between multiple applications. By embracing video editing more fully, Google Photos could solidify its position not just as a storage solution but as a complete media management platform capable of handling both photos and videos from capture to sharing.