Google Photos Search Gets Smarter: Find Memories With Natural Language Queries
Prior to this update, users have been able to search for pictures using simple keywords. However, this doesn’t always deliver narrow enough results to be useful within larger photo libraries. Descriptive queries will enable users to get more specific about what they are looking for, which should bring about better results. Some of the examples provided by Google include “Alice and me laughing,” “Kayaking on a lake surrounded by mountains” or “Emma painting in the backyard.”
Ask Photos is what Google views as the next step in using search within Google Photos. Users will be able to ask questions such as “Where did we camp last time we went to Yosemite?” or “What did we eat at the hotel in Stanley?” This will make it possible to not only find a photo but, to be able to ask about certain details contained within the picture itself. Additionally, the company says that this feature “is conversational, if it doesn't find the right answer immediately, you can provide extra clues or details to nudge it in the right direction.”
These are solid additions to Google Photos, and should be a big win for users so long as they work as advertised. Being able to use more natural language to search for pictures will make search more helpful to a wider set of users, and not just those who have honed their keyword search skills.
Anyone interested in getting early access to Ask Photos will need to join a waitlist, although this is only open to users located in the United States. Google says, “we’re making sure we get this experience right before rolling it out broadly.” So it might be a while before it makes its way to rest of the user base.