Thanks to third-party TV manufacturers, seamless integration with Google services, and a robust feature set, Google TV is one of the popular smart TV platforms. However, a notable absence has left numerous users, myself included, puzzled and disappointed: the lack of a standalone Google Photos app.
On the flip side, Apple TV users enjoy the convenience of browsing and reliving their cherished memories on the big screen through the built-in tvOS iCloud Photos app. After all, nothing beats the experience of checking your media library on a giant 4K screen. This raises the question. Despite a decade of continuous development, why has the search giant not released a Google Photos app for Android TV?
4 It’s just more convenient
Google offers a digital remote via the Google Home app on Android and iPhone. Still, most users prefer the in-box remote to navigate the system. It’s easy and convenient, and nothing beats the feeling of clicking physical buttons on a tiny remote. While using my Apple TV, I keep the remote in my hand and can effortlessly open the Photos app to view my vacation photos.
Glancing over my memories using the default control pad instead of swiping on a glass is natural. On the flip side, when I switch to my Sansui Google TV, I’m left to navigate a convoluted workaround: casting media from Google Photos on my mobile devices. This irritating disconnect hampers the viewing experience and shows a missed opportunity for Google to create a truly integrated ecosystem.
A dedicated Google Photos app on Google TV would eliminate these hurdles, providing a streamlined and intuitive way to access and enjoy our photo libraries.
With a dedicated Google Photos app on Google TV, the ability to set favorite albums, people, memories, or other media types as screensavers would become an effortless and delightful reality. Imagine throwing a birthday party for your little one at home where you can play all their memories from birth and childhood in front of your guests on a giant screen.
This feature would improve the visual charm of your Google TV and offer a comforting and nostalgic feeling. You can create albums tailored to various moods or events (such as displaying your marriage album when you host your 10th wedding anniversary party) or let Google Photos’ AI-driven recommendations delight you with a handpicked collection of your finest photos. The possibilities are endless.
Apple nailed iCloud Photos integration on tvOS screensavers. It’s the one feature I want Google to copy shamelessly on Android TV.
2 Better integration with the voice assistant
Google offers Google Assistant integration with the Photos app on Android TV. For example, I can summon the voice assistant and ask it to display my photos on my TV. However, the devil is in the details. The setup isn’t smooth. You need to hoop through multiple menus and tweak several settings in Google Home and the Google Assistant mobile app to get the desired results. The setup also requires your phone and TV to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
At times, it fails to work as expected. For example, when I asked Google Assistant to show my photos, it displayed my kid’s pictures on the TV. Besides, it’s evident that the Google Assistant era is over, and Gemini will eventually replace it on smart TVs and other devices.
Since Gemini is advanced at handling complex requests, Google could use the opportunity to integrate the Ask Photos feature on Google Photos for Android TV. Ask Photos acts as a personal assistant to help you find specific memories from your media library. For instance, you can ask What places did I visit last year? and Ask Photos can quickly pull up relevant memories on your TV.
1 Privacy concerns can be tackled easily
Jules Wang / AP
Google Photos hosts your personal media library, including your private moments. The company already offers Locked Folder, which you can use to hide your confidential memories from prying eyes on a TV. Google could even go a step ahead and offer an option to insert a PIN when someone tries to access your profile on Android TV.
A glaring omission on Google TV
Google Photos is a preferred gallery app for many because of its robust AI capabilities, easy collaboration options, and useful editing features. Still, the lack of a Google Photos app on Google TV highlights a frustrating inconsistency in Google’s ecosystem. I hope the search giant fixes such a glaring gap on its smart TV platform sooner rather than later.
Leaving a lack of a Google Photos app aside, Google TV OS is feature-packed. Check out our top Google TV tips and tricks to get the best out of your preferred smart TV OS.
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