Google has just unveiled a new photo app and website that features unlimited free storage. The tech supergiant made this announcement during a keynote presentation at its recently concluded I/O conference earlier today.
The service, called Google Photos, is designed to be a one stop hub for all your pictures. It unifies your photo libraries across all your devices regardless of platform whether they be on Android, iOS, or personal computer. Google is calling Google Photos "a safe place" to store and share your photos, organizing your pictures and videos by life moments, day, month, or year. You'll be able to easily change how your photos are organized with "a simple pinch."
Another feature touted by Google was the app's machine learning technology, which analyses how users sort their photos so that it can mirror their desired organizational style in the future. Google also mentioned the app's Smart Search Engine, which gives users the ability to quickly find a specific photo in their library based on keywords. There will also be a robust set of social features such as an easy sharing function, collage editor, and easy to use GIF assistant for creating animated GIFs n.
The one caveat to Google's new service is the fact that while storage space is indeed unlimited, only lower resolution photos will allowed to be stored. Photos above 16 megapixels in quality will be compressed down to a smaller format. Users looking to retain the image's original visual fidelity must use Google Drive, which offers 15GB of free storage but can be upgraded with a monthly subscription fee to hold more.
Forbes magazine pointed out the strategic importance of Google's latest offering. By offering a free unlimited service, Google has undercut rivals like Apple and Dropbox in the cloud storage market.
Google is rolling out its new photo service later today.
