New Google Photos 'Live Albums' Share Pictures of People and Pets Automatically - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

New Google Photos 'Live Albums' Share Pictures of People and Pets Automatically

by

google photosFollowing yesterday's Google event, the company is rolling out an update for Google Photos that introduces a new feature called Live Albums.

Powered by Google's facial recognition algorithms, Live Albums allow users to create albums that are automatically updated with pictures from their library of a specific person or pet.

Once an album has been tagged as a Live Album, it can be shared with others and will still automatically update to include new shots when they become available. From Google's The Keyword blog:

You can turn any album into a live album. Just choose the people (and pets) you want to see, and Google Photos will automatically add photos of them to your album as you take them. Then, you can share your album with family and friends so they can be a part of special moments as they happen—no manual updates needed.

Live Albums in Google Photos are created in the same way as a normal album, by selecting the Album tab and tapping the New album icon – just be sure to tap the new setting "Automatically add photos of people and pets" on the next screen, and you'll then be able to select the ones you want to include. You can also opt to be notified when any new photos are added to the album.

Google Photos live albums
In addition, Google says that the 7-inch display on its just-announced Google Home Hub smart speaker will also display these Live Albums including recently added photos.

Live albums are rolling out now in a number of countries on Android, iOS and the web. Google Photos is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

99 months ago
What could possibly go wrong ...
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
99 months ago
Can't trust Google anymore with anything.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Toutou Avatar
99 months ago
Is every apple design copied? Photos logo rip off
Photos - 2014
Picasa - 2004

Try again.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
99 months ago
Here come the Google haters.

It's obvious you guys didn't even read the article.

Google isn't just sending out pictures automatically willy-nilly.

You make an album, add the people you want to that album using faces, an INVITE who you want to see them.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jacg Avatar
99 months ago
I guess they are already harvesting the crap out your photos, so why not automatically share them? There’s still no such thing as bad publicity, right?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AustinIllini Avatar
99 months ago
Really wish that we could get just standalone Gallery and Music apps and not have to deal with these bloated messes that are being pushed on us.
Are you crazy? Google Photos is amazing! It far outdoes photos in the Apple ecosystem and is a lot better than the gallery app ever was.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Gemini Siri Feature

Google Confirms Gemini-Powered Siri Coming Later This Year

Wednesday April 22, 2026 11:08 am PDT by
Google today commented on its partnership with Apple, confirming that Gemini will power a new, more personalized version of Siri that's set to be released later in 2026. Google Cloud chief Thomas Kurian mentioned the Apple partnership during Google Cloud Next 2026, a conference that's taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada today. Earlier this year, we announced a monumental partnership with one...
google photos wardrobe

Google Photos to Get AI 'Wardrobe' Feature

Wednesday April 29, 2026 3:50 pm PDT by
Google Photos is getting a new wardrobe planning feature that will help you decide what to wear. AI will pull in images of clothing from the Google Photos library, organizing clothing items into a digital closet. You will be able to put items together to create outfits, and even virtually try them with a digital avatar on to see how they'll look. The Google Photos app will show all items of...
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

Google Says Pixel Phones Won't Get Apple's Liquid Glass Design

Wednesday May 6, 2026 1:57 pm PDT by
The Android operating system for Pixel smartphones is not going to take design cues from Apple and adopt a Liquid Glass aesthetic, Google Android president Sameer Samat said recently (via 9to5Google). In response to a social media mockup of an Android device with a Liquid Glass design, Samat said, "Not happening! Y'all are wild." The mockup was in response to a teaser video for The Android...