With Google’s 2015 I/O conference just around the corner – scheduled for the 28th of May – the company has leaked several images depicting a new version of its Photos app which have been published by Android Authority.
The leak details new tools as well as a re-imagining of pre-existing app features, and it seems that Google are readying a more cohesive photo backup service which parallels Apple’s Photos in both iOS and Mac, as well as Dropbox’s Carousel photo management app.
In the updated Photos app, all indications point to improved photo and video sharing; both can now be sured by a single URL. Further, Google’s Auto-Awesome tool, which automatically uploads images to Google + and applies a filter, general edit and a border has been rebranded as Assistant.
Assistant will enable manual control over collages, slideshows and movies, whereas Auto-Awesome offered no manipulation. Additionally, Photos can automatically generate albums based on date, location, or other metadata.
The updated Photos app also includes Google’s Material design language to a far greater extent than its predecessor and will share a greater visual synergy with Google’s other apps. Additionally, the Material design make-over will spill over to a new web interface for the Photos service, which will be independent from Google +.
The service is expected to integrate tagging automation, and will automatically organise as well as tag images based on either the date of capture or the subject depicted; users will be able to search for a “cat” tag, for instance, and see pictures of cats that they’ve either uploaded to the service or captured.
It is expected that Google will elaborate on the new Photos app at some point during I/O. The company is moving into a competitive field, however, with both Dropbox’s Carousel, Apple’s Photos, Microsoft’s OneDrive, and now Flickr’s Camera Roll service.
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