Google is once again rolling out its AI-powered ‘Ask Photos’ feature, this time with a much-needed speed boost.
After pausing the initial launch in early June due to performance issues and user interface concerns, the company has made key updates to improve responsiveness and usability.
Ask Photos is designed to let users search their Google Photos library using natural language prompts. For example, you can ask, “When was our last road trip?” or “Show me pictures of my friend blowing out birthday candles.” These kinds of queries rely on Google’s advanced Gemini AI models to understand and respond with relevant images from your photo history.
But during its first rollout, the feature was criticized for slow response times, especially for simple searches.
Now, Google is addressing that issue with a hybrid search approach. The new version combines traditional image recognition search with the power of Gemini AI.
For straightforward queries like “pictures of food” or “my dog,” Google Photos will instantly return fast, image-based results. Meanwhile, the Gemini model will quietly process more complex questions in the background and update the results as soon as it’s done.
This balance between speed and intelligence ensures that users get quick feedback without sacrificing the value of AI-driven insights.
Who Can Access Ask Photos?
The revamped Ask Photos feature is being rolled out gradually to more users in the U.S. To be eligible, users must:
- Be 18 years or older.
- Have their Google account language set to English.
- Enable Face Groups in Google Photos settings.
Google is making it easier than ever to rediscover personal memories with smarter photo searches. By reducing latency and improving the user experience, Ask Photos now feels more intuitive and helpful.
With AI seamlessly working in the background and results arriving faster, it’s a significant step forward for users who want smarter, more natural ways to rediscover memories buried in their photo collections.
