Google is reportedly working on a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature for Android called Ask Photos. The feature was first teased at the tech giant's annual Google I/O event in May. It was described to be an extension for Google Photos which allows the on-device Gemini AI-powered assistant to access a user's images and answer queries about them. The feature has now been spotted in the latest beta version of the Google app and is currently said to be in development.
Google Reportedly Working on an Ask Photos Feature
Android Authority spotted the feature in development on the latest Google app beta version 15.33.36.29.arm64. The publication discovered references to the Ask Photos functionality while conducting an APK teardown. Those enrolled in the Google Play beta programme will not be able to use it until Google begins rolling it out to testers.
One of the strings of code includes the phrase “assistant_robin_action_ask_photos_single_image_content_description” which highlights that the feature will use the Gemini AI assistant, according to the publication. Notably, robin is the internal name for Gemini. Another string highlights the possible action of the feature as accessing the “Google Photos extension”.
These two strings suggest that the feature, once released, will be available via the Gemini AI assistant and that an extension will integrate Google Photos into it. In terms of functionality, the tech giant explained during its event that the feature is aimed at answering queries about the images.
The database for the feature will be the user's Google Photos backup. With Ask Photos, the user can ask a question such as “What did I wear when I visited Jaipur” and Gemini will be able to search through the relevant images to find the answer. The tech giant had said that users can ask complicated and vague queries, and Gemini will still be able to find the right answer.
Separately, Google has also rolled out a new feature for Google Photos which lets users hide or block a person from their media collection. As per a report, a new Block and Show less have been added. Show less can block a person from appearing in the memories carousel, whereas Block will remove the person from appearing anywhere across the app.
