Google Photos — the default media manager and cloud storage app on most Android devices — has just reached a major milestone in terms of Play Store downloads. Since its launch in 2015, Google Photos has become a widely used platform and functions as a photo gallery application on Android phones and tablets. The app offers cloud-based backup for media, along with various photo editing features, some of which are powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
Google Photos has been downloaded over 10 billion times
Nine years after its launch, Google Photos has passed the 10 billion download mark. Since it comes pre-loaded with Android phones, it’s unclear whether that counts toward the total number of downloads. The app previously passed the 5 billion mark in 2020.
In recent years, Google Photos has become the primary photo management app on Android devices. It also comes pre-installed with most Android phones, except those launched in China. While original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like Samsung and OnePlus ship their smartphones with a dedicated gallery app, Google Photos also comes pre-installed as part of the Google suite.
Thanks to the company’s recent developments in AI, Google has also integrated several generative AI features into its Photos app, some of which are powered by Gemini, its family of large language models (LLMs). One of the most notable AI editing features in the app is the Magic Editor, which uses generative AI to perform complex photo edits, such as changing the subject or background or sky, with simple gesture-based actions. Other features include Photo Unblur, Magic Eraser, and Portrait Blur.
While some of these options are exclusive to Pixel devices or available as part of the Google One plan, others are available on all Android smartphones.
Notably, Google Photos isn’t the first app from the company to surpass 10 billion downloads. Apps including Android Accessibility Suite, Gmail, Google Chrome, Google Drive, Google Maps, Google Play Services, Google Search, Speech Services by Google, and YouTube have all surpassed that mark in the past, though some of them are required to access Google features on handsets.
