Google Photos and Duo App Updates Coming For Users in Low Connectivity Areas - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Google Photos and Duo App Updates Coming For Users in Low Connectivity Areas

by

Google announced a couple of notable updates for its Duo and Photos apps yesterday at the company's São Paulo event, where it pitched the features as ideal solutions for users in Brazil who live in low connectivity areas.

Google Photos received two new features to make photo backup and sharing easier when using the app in locations with poor network coverage.

Google Duo and Photos
Photos now backs up images in a lightweight preview quality that Google says "still looks great on a smartphone" and can be easily shared over poor connections. When a good Wi-Fi connection does become available, the backed up photos are automatically replaced with high quality versions.

We’re also making it easier to share many photos at once even on low connectivity. Never mind if you're at the beach or hiking in the mountains, with Google Photos you can now share pictures quickly even with a spotty connection by sending first in low resolution so friends and family can view them right away. They'll later update in higher resolution when connectivity permits.

Video calling app Duo gained an audio-only calling feature that users can switch to when an internet connection is poor. The features for both apps are available in Brazil from today, and Google says it will be rolling them out to users around the world in the coming days.

Yesterday, Google also announced a new feature for Maps that lets users share their real-time locations with friends and family.

Top Rated Comments

126 months ago
The amazing thing about Google photos is the ability it has to recognise the content. I was searching for brakes and it showed me the photos it thought was related to the query. I was looking for of a brake caliper rebuild I did in 2004 on my motorbike and a quick scroll through the results showed them to me. It wasn't ever in a folder called brakes, nor ever tagged as that.

Not a great article but this gives a better example: https://photographyconcentrate.com/the-most-powerful-feature-of-google-photos/

My exact same photos are in Apples Photos and the same "Brakes" search returned zero results. Just tried it.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
126 months ago
Duo will be a tough sell in a country where almost everyone uses Whatsapp.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

google synthid

Google's SynthID AI Detector is Now Available to Everyone

Wednesday October 7, 2026 4:42 pm PDT by
Google today said it is making its SynthID Detector available to everyone for identifying content created using AI. SynthID Detector first rolled out to members of the media last year, and it is now available worldwide in English. SynthID Detector is a website that lets users upload a photo, video, or audio file to determine whether it has a SynthID watermark that identifies it as...
General App Store South Korea Feature Feature

South Korea Rules Against Apple Over App Store Payment Rules

Wednesday October 28, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
South Korea has fined Apple 20.8 billion won ($15.5 million) and ordered it to let developers link to external payment options from their apps, The Associated Press reports. The Korea Media and Communications Commission found that Apple and Google effectively require developers to use their payment systems, violating a 2021 law intended to allow alternatives. Google was fined 42.9 billion...
apple pro tell logo

Apple Launching Five New Products This Friday

Monday November 2, 2026 1:22 am PST by
Apple is releasing five new products this Friday, November 6, following pre-orders that opened last week, including its first touchscreen MacBook Pro models. The following new products will be available from Friday: iPad mini with OLED display and A20 Pro chip iMac with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen 16-inch MacBook Pro with OLED...
Latest Stories
Veterans Day Apple Watch Activity Challenge Launches November 11
Veterans Day Apple Watch Activity Challenge Launches November 11
16 minutes ago
Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals: Save Hundreds on MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and More
Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals: Save Hundreds on MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and More
54 minutes ago
Apple Fitness+ Gets Gym Strength Plans in iOS 27.3
Apple Fitness+ Gets Gym Strength Plans in iOS 27.3
59 minutes ago
iOS 27.3 Adding New StandBy Mode Features to iPhone 11 and Newer
iOS 27.3 Adding New StandBy Mode Features to iPhone 11 and Newer
1 hour ago
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
1 hour ago
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Apple Intelligence to China
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Apple Intelligence to China
1 hour ago
iPhone Duo Gets Reachability in iOS 27.3 Beta
iPhone Duo Gets Reachability in iOS 27.3 Beta
1 hour ago
Siri AI Gets More Capable in iOS 27.3
Siri AI Gets More Capable in iOS 27.3
1 hour ago
iOS 27.3 Adds Vertical Tabs and Adaptive Dark Mode to Safari
iOS 27.3 Adds Vertical Tabs and Adaptive Dark Mode to Safari
2 hours ago
watchOS 27.3 Brings Live Rewind and Siri Recap to Apple Watch
watchOS 27.3 Brings Live Rewind and Siri Recap to Apple Watch
2 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Back Apple's Redesigned Health App
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Back Apple's Redesigned Health App
2 hours ago
Apple Releases First macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Beta
Apple Releases First macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Beta
2 hours ago
Apple Seeds First iOS 27.3 Beta
Apple Seeds First iOS 27.3 Beta
2 hours ago
Apple Releases First watchOS 27.3, tvOS 27.3 and visionOS 27.3 Betas
Apple Releases First watchOS 27.3, tvOS 27.3 and visionOS 27.3 Betas
2 hours ago
iPad Mini 8 Reviewer Isn't Satisfied With Apple's Excuse for Lack of 120Hz Display
iPad Mini 8 Reviewer Isn't Satisfied With Apple's Excuse for Lack of 120Hz Display
3 hours ago
iPad Mini 8 Review Claims Battery Life is Way Better Than Apple Says
iPad Mini 8 Review Claims Battery Life is Way Better Than Apple Says
3 hours ago
B&H Photo Launches Early Black Friday Sale With Discounts on Macs and Accessories
B&H Photo Launches Early Black Friday Sale With Discounts on Macs and Accessories
4 hours ago
iPhone Duo Could Take Nearly 30% of Foldable Market in 2027
iPhone Duo Could Take Nearly 30% of Foldable Market in 2027
4 hours ago
Apple Watch Automatically Identifies Songs Playing Around You
Apple Watch Automatically Identifies Songs Playing Around You
5 hours ago
iPhone 18 Rumored to Get Larger Battery and Potential Price Increase
iPhone 18 Rumored to Get Larger Battery and Potential Price Increase
5 hours ago
Apple Store in UK Permanently Closing Later This Month
Apple Store in UK Permanently Closing Later This Month
5 hours ago
Apple's Annual R&D Spending Jumps by More Than $11 Billion
Apple's Annual R&D Spending Jumps by More Than $11 Billion
6 hours ago
Will Apple Ever Merge iPadOS and macOS? John Ternus Responds
Will Apple Ever Merge iPadOS and macOS? John Ternus Responds
6 hours ago
MacBook Neo Gets Rare $30 Amazon Discount
MacBook Neo Gets Rare $30 Amazon Discount
6 hours ago
Hands-On: The OLED iPad Mini is Almost an iPad Pro Mini
Hands-On: The OLED iPad Mini is Almost an iPad Pro Mini
7 hours ago
tvOS 27.2.1 and macOS 27.2.1 Likely Coming Soon
tvOS 27.2.1 and macOS 27.2.1 Likely Coming Soon
7 hours ago
MKBHD Switches Back to iPhone 18 Pro After Testing iPhone Duo
MKBHD Switches Back to iPhone 18 Pro After Testing iPhone Duo
7 hours ago
Apple Explores Cheaper Way to Make New MacBook Pro's OLED Tech
Apple Explores Cheaper Way to Make New MacBook Pro's OLED Tech
9 hours ago
Apple Released the iPhone X Nine Years Ago Today
Apple Released the iPhone X Nine Years Ago Today
12 hours ago
Apple Requiring Developers to Disclose Location Sharing and Dating Features in Apps
Apple Requiring Developers to Disclose Location Sharing and Dating Features in Apps
20 hours ago