How To Initiate A Chat In Google Photos Messaging Feature

The software giant, Google has finally made it easier to share photos from the messaging app itself along with an added advantage of sending messages to your contacts with the shared photo. Previously, you needed to select a photo, and send it through message apps like WhatsApp, Snapchat or Instagram,  and then could also chat with the person. You also needed Google Photos, which offered an unlimited storage space to save your precious moments.

That makes it two apps, one for storage and another to share images and chat with your family & friends. Google has launched a private direct messaging feature in its Photos App, thus eliminating the need to venture out to another app to share the image and a few words.

Steps On How To Chat In Google Photos Messaging Feature?

The most important feature with Google Apps is that they are easy to use, and Google Photos is no different. To send a message through Google Photos, follow these steps:

Step 1. Open Google Photos, and tap on the photo or video you want to share.

Step 2. Tap on the share icon on the top, and select the name of the contact you want to share the image with.

Step 3. You can also click the magnifying glass, and search a person by name, phone number or email.

Step 4. Once you have selected a contact, then you get an option to type a message along with the photo.

Step 5. The Google Photos messaging feature screen takes over, and a conversation thread is established where both the parties can start chatting, sharing photos and even add others.

Why Google Photos?

Google Photos, launched in May 2015, is unlimited storage to save your photos, and share them with your contacts. Its features include:

• Free unlimited storage: Google does offer storage space but has also applied a restriction that limits the images up to 16 megapixels to be included in the free storage.
• Artificial Intelligence: Google Photos can analyze photos, and sort them into People, Places, and things.
• Automatic Backup: With the right setting enabled, Google Photos can automatically take a backup of your photos, and store them on the cloud storage that can be retrieved anywhere and anytime.
• Default Application: Google Photos is available as default in all Android smartphones and gets activated, once you sign in your phone with a google account.
• The number of users: Google announced earlier this year that its Photos app had reached 1 billion users, and it was the 9^th app to achieve this feat. With more users using a similar app, it is becoming convenient for everyone to stay on a similar platform. Plus, updates and bug fixes are done regularly at a faster rate as a large number of users are affected at once.

Also Read: Tips and Tricks To Make You Master Google Photos

How Is This New Feature Going To Help?

Google has enabled the users to share a photo with your family, friends or any random contact and at the same time,  send them a text message, free of cost. The receiver would receive a notification on his Google Photos messaging feature and can reply through the same channel. This establishes a two-way private chat communication between the parties. Users can also add other contacts and convert it into a group chat. All this and more without leaving Google Photos app.

This update would boost social interactions as it would be easier to share photos, and chances of a conversation to spark out becomes high. The users can comment instantly on the photos shared, and tap on the heart icon to express their feelings.

What Led To This Update?

Google has stated that this update was released after analyzing feedbacks received from Google Photos’ users. Before this update, the photo-sharing options within the app was to create a shared album with just one image that could be sent to the contact. Most of the users had remarked this feature as silly in the comments section. With users searching for alternative apps to send photos like WhatsApp and SnapChat, Google decided to kill two birds with one stone. It inculcated the Direct Messaging service, which lets users chat back and forth, and simplified the entire sharing process by removing the album creation method.

However, it seems otherwise if you check the quote by Janvi Shah, who is currently the Product Manager for Google Photos.

“This feature isn’t designed to replace the chat apps you already use, but we do hope it improves sharing memories with your friends and family in Google Photos.” – Shah

It is too early to tell if Google Photos is trying to replace other instant messaging and chat apps. The updates for Google Photos messaging feature are gradually rolling out slowly and gradually to millions of users across the globe. Once updated, users will be able to share photos and chat with family and friends across all platforms where Google Photos is installed, namely Android, iOS and PC

Also Read: How to Hide or Unhide Photos on Google Photos

Google Photos: A Photo Organizer or Instant Messaging App?

Sharing photos with just a few taps and providing people with a chance to start a conversation based on a particular image is a smart idea, and it had taken quite some time before Google released this update. With over a billion users, Google Photos has already become a part of our daily mobile time, especially with free and unlimited storage. Better late then never, Google might have realized that countless photos clicked directly within other apps are not being included in Google Photos. With these latest updates, it has planned to amass more share of photos and social interactions into its bucket.