Your phone’s stock gallery app just got a fantastic Google Photos upgrade

Many smartphone producers supply two gallery apps on their units, specifically their very own app and Google Photos. What in case you may seamlessly entry your Google Photos library within the OEM app, although?

Android Police stories that OPPO, OnePlus, Realme, and Xiaomi telephones all have Google Photos integration in their very own gallery apps. The outlet stories that this integration is accessible on OPPO, OnePlus, and Realme telephones working Android 14. It additionally notes that Xiaomi first gained primary integration in late 2022.

I seen this function on the Realme 12 Pro Plus a whereas again too, and it’s simple to get began with this integration. You want to easily open the gallery app after which faucet settings > Backup to Google Photos > Backup. From right here, you’ll be taken to the Google Photos app, the place you’ll be prompted to permit your gallery app to entry Google Photos.

Enabling this selection means you’ll be able to again up your captured photographs/movies through the OEM app as an alternative of through Google Photos. That’s not a massive deal even in case you hate utilizing the Google Photos app as you solely must arrange backups as soon as anyway.

The extra notable perk is that this integration lets you see your complete Google Photos library within the OEM gallery app, along with backing up your captured photographs/movies through the OEM app. You might need to attend a jiffy on your Google Photos library to indicate up within the gallery app, although. In saying so, I might’ve favored a separate toggle so I didn’t must allow backups to view my cloud library within the OEM app.

Realme’s gallery app shows your Google Photos library in a “restored” folder. Videos are streamed from Google Photos or they are often downloaded through the obtain icon. Meanwhile, images are first displayed as ~1080px previews earlier than being robotically downloaded at full decision and displayed on the prime of the folder. This isn’t precisely probably the most visually nice association.

Photo edits are dealt with fairly nicely, because the gallery app enables you to select between changing the unique file or saving a copy (see the screenshot beneath). And I discovered that selecting both possibility was precisely mirrored in Google Photos on the net. Edits are made utilizing the gallery app’s instruments, and options just like the Color OS picture clipper device labored just superb after the picture was downloaded.

Android Police additionally famous that Xiaomi’s gallery app was just lately up to date to supply complete Google Photos integration after providing primary assist in 2022. It seems to be like Xiaomi’s integration additionally enables you to select whether or not you need photographs to be manually or robotically downloaded too (versus BBK telephones solely doing it robotically). 

Google’s personal assist web page notes that solely Xiaomi, OPPO, OnePlus, and Realme telephones are supported for now. However, the web page provides that you simply want a minimal of Android 11 moderately than Android 14. This requirement means that older telephones can even get Google Photos integration of their gallery apps.

Either method, we hope Google Photos integration involves the Samsung Gallery and different OEM gallery apps sooner or later as it will scale back the necessity to juggle two gallery apps.