New Google Photos 'Live Albums' Share Pictures of People and Pets Automatically

Following yesterday's Google event, the company is rolling out an update for Google Photos that introduces a new feature called Live Albums.

Powered by Google's facial recognition algorithms, Live Albums allow users to create albums that are automatically updated with pictures from their library of a specific person or pet.

Once an album has been tagged as a Live Album, it can be shared with others and will still automatically update to include new shots when they become available. From Google's The Keyword blog:

You can turn any album into a live album. Just choose the people (and pets) you want to see, and Google Photos will automatically add photos of them to your album as you take them. Then, you can share your album with family and friends so they can be a part of special moments as they happen—no manual updates needed.

Live Albums in Google Photos are created in the same way as a normal album, by selecting the Album tab and tapping the New album icon – just be sure to tap the new setting "Automatically add photos of people and pets" on the next screen, and you'll then be able to select the ones you want to include. You can also opt to be notified when any new photos are added to the album.


In addition, Google says that the 7-inch display on its just-announced Google Home Hub smart speaker will also display these Live Albums including recently added photos.

Live albums are rolling out now in a number of countries on Android, iOS and the web. Google Photos is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]