Now, Google is adding instant chat into Photos. But, why?
What's the story
From Google Talk and Voice to Google+ Hangouts and Allo, Google has created way too many messaging and communication apps over the years. However, under Sundar Pichai's leadership, the company has also weeded the non-useful/unsuccessful chat services, leaving only the essential ones. Now, as part of the same effort, it is adding messaging at the least expected place - Google Photos. Here's why.
Integration
Messaging integrated with Google Photos
Google is integrating messaging with its Photos app, a change that will allow users of the service to send photos and chat with their friends/family while being in the same app. The feature will make sending one-off photos easier and save the trouble of creating an entire shared album with just a few photos in it.
Conversation
Plus, Photos will drive the conversation
Once you will use the messaging feature to share a photo, it will appear in a thread and become the starting point of a conversation. At least, that is how Google sees it. The company hopes that the sender and receiver can then talk about the photo as well as react to it by liking or sharing.
Working
Sharing would be at the touch of a button
In order to use the feature, you will have to tap on the share icon on an image and select one or more contacts from the "Send in Google Photos" option. Once you select, the image will be sent to them and a conversation box will open where you both can chat about the stuff, share more photos.
Twitter Post
Here's how it will work
Now when you're sending pictures and videos to your friends or family, you can share them in an ongoing, private conversation in @googlephotos. 📸 Here’s how sharing within the app just got simpler → https://t.co/aBDfhzSyyt pic.twitter.com/QJ2j0crME9
— Google (@Google) December 3, 2019
Note
Google account mandatory for sharing photos via new feature
While the messaging feature is interesting and easy to use, it is imperative to note that the receiver should have a Google account with Google Photos installed to receive the sent image/message. It is the same drill that goes with any other messaging app, but it shouldn't be a problem given that Google Photos already has more than a billion users.
Previous move
Google made a similar move with YouTube too
Google had launched a similar feature for the YouTube app but the capability was killed a year later. The company has high hopes for the idea of Photos-based messaging, but it still remains to be seen how the public receives it, considering the largely unsuccessful run of the company's previous social/messaging products and the dominance of WhatsApp and other Facebook products in messaging/media-sharing arena.