Google Photos just got a new AI editor – and it brings the Pixel’s best tricks to your Android or iOS phone

Google Photos is celebrating its 10th birthday
New editing tools are coming to Android and iOS
Users will also be able to share photos via QR code

Google Photos has now been with us for 10 years, and Google is marking the occasion by redesigning the app's photo editor, and adding some of the AI-powered trickery that was previously exclusive to the best Pixel phones.

The editor revamp collects together some key features while adding new ones: choose to edit a photo and you'll see a number of suggested enhancements pop up. Tap on someone or something in an image, and even more suggestions appear, such as the option to move the selection somewhere else in the picture, or blur the background behind it.

Tools that have previously been exclusive to the Google Pixel 9 series are now going to be available for everyone. They include Auto Frame for getting suggested crops for a shot, and Reimagine, which works like a mini AI image generator to let you introduce new elements or edit existing ones with text prompts.

Other examples provided by Google include getting suggestions as to how to enhance a particular area of a photo, and changing the look of the sky using the Reimagine tool – so you can turn a cloudy day into a sunny one, if you want to. The redesigned editor reaches Android next month, with iOS following “later this year”.

Google Photos location search

You can view your photos and videos based on where they were taken (Image credit: Future)

Away from the redesigned editor, the Google Photos apps are also making it easier to share photos with other people. You'll now be able to do this using a QR code – so you can just pass the code on to other people or post it publicly for anyone to use.

Google has also used the occasion to share some tips and tricks for using its photos app. These aren't new but you might not have been aware of them: like the way you can tap Places on the Collections tab to see your photos spread out across locations, and focus on pictures and videos from particular spots.

Another feature highlighted by Google is the way you can use natural language in searches, whether it's “me in a blue shirt” or “at the beach” – and Google's AI will find what you're looking for. Just tap the Search button down in the lower right corner, then put your query in at the top.

According to Google, since its launch 10 years ago, more than 9 trillion photos and videos have been stored on the service, and more than 1.5 billion people are using it monthly – making 210 edits each month between them. Personally though, I think it's still a shame Google took away unlimited storage for Pixel owners.