Google is integrating more and more AI features into its services, including Android. These integrations are mainly provided by Gemini, which takes over many aspects of the company’s ecosystem. If you’re a Chrome user, for example, Google has silently installed a 4GB AI model on your device for Gemini Nano. If you use Google Photos, you’ll want to listen. Google has also added AI features to it, with normal content search replaced by a Gemini-based version called Ask Photos. It relies on AI to find more relevant images for queries, for example when you search for “cars” it will find all photos in the library featuring cars. This can be useful, but it also means the AI is scanning your personal library. This isn’t the only AI feature in Google Photos, either. AI options are also included in photo editing.
If you don’t want the AI features, you can turn them off. In the Google Photos app on mobile, tap your profile icon in the top right and go to Photos Settings > Preferences > Labs AI Features or, if you have it, Gemini Features in Photos. In these submenus, disable features you don’t want by turning off the associated toggles.
The Google Privacy Hub confirms that data from the Google Photos app is not used for ads and/or to train AI beyond Google Photos. The app leverages artificial intelligence to provide personalized memories, edits, and creations. It also uses photo and video data, face group labels or names, and additional information about your Google account.
Why not stop using Google Photos altogether?
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A simple answer, or what seems to be the case, for most people is to stop using Google services altogether. It’s a solution, yes, but when you have a lot of photos stored on the service and you have a family on your side using Android devices and Google services, it’s not as simple. You’ll need to back up all available photos and videos, which could add up to a huge amount of data if you’ve been using the cloud service for a while.
The good news is that there are alternatives to Google Photos. Pre-installed first-party apps, such as Aves and Fossify, are options. If you need more robust photo editing, there are several essential Android app options for photographers. You can’t go wrong with Affinity either, as users swear by the free Adobe Photoshop alternative.
One question is: Does Google Photos keep your content forever or not? If you don’t use it, Google will only delete your photos after two years, and even then, only if you’ve exceeded your account’s storage limits. So, if you decide to move away from Google Photos, you may want to spend some time and effort deleting your data.
