Summary
- Google introduced a new media picker in Android 13, allowing users to select specific photos and videos instead of their entire library. This feature has now been expanded to include Google Photos integration.
- The photo picker will now provide access to all albums in Google Photos, as well as a separate Favorites album for quick access to favorite media.
- Google Photos is currently the only compatible cloud media app, but other cloud storage services may be added in the future, depending on device maker nominations.
Besides a barrage of new features and improvements, Google introduced a new media picker in Android 13. It allowed you to provide apps with access to only selected photos and videos on your phone instead of your entire library. Google’s implementation was inspired from the iPhone’s media picker and was eventually backported to Android 4.4+ devices. However, the company’s execution had a major limitation: you could not select media from Google Photos or other cloud storage services. That’s finally changing, with the Android photo picker gaining support for cloud photos.
In an announcement on the Android Developers blog, Google announced the Android photo picker now supports Google Photos integration. So, besides selecting pictures or videos stored locally on your device, you can also directly choose media stored in your Google Photos library. This even includes access to all your created albums. Pictures and videos marked as “favorites” will also appear in a separate Favorites album in the file picker for quick and easy access.
One gripe with Google’s implementation is that the photo picker does not have a search bar, so you cannot search for people or subjects in your cloud photo library.
Signs of Google’s work on integrating Google Photos in the new Android photo picker were first spotted in late December 2023.
Google’s integration is not limited to Google Photos. The company has opened the API for any cloud media app eligible for the pilot program. However, the requirements state that only apps nominated by device makers can become a cloud media provider, with each company limited to nominating up to three apps. This could limit your choices, especially if you use a relatively lesser-known cloud storage service for backing up your pictures and videos.
As of now, only Google Photos is apparently the only compatible cloud media app. Google says the new photo picker will roll out to all Android 12+ devices with the February Google Play System update. Once rolled out, the OS will automatically try to pick the default cloud media app, but you can change this from the photo picker settings.
Given that Google just started re-rolling the January 2024 Play System update, the February update could take a while to arrive.
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