Google is testing a new way of accessing the Google Photos editor from other apps.
A new report reveals that Google is trialing a new way of embedding Google Photos features within other Android apps.
As uncovered by the prolific leaker known as AssembleDebug, code hidden within the latest version of the Files by Google file manager app allows the user to quickly edit images with the Google Photos picture editor without switching apps.
The editor is activated by tapping a new “floating action button” when the user previews an image in Files. This action opens the current image in the familiar Google Photos editing interface, but this happens entirely seamlessly and with no indication that it’s actually the Google Photos app performing the edit functions behind the scenes. To the user, it’s as though the Files app has gained full Google Photos editing capabilities. However, according to AssembleDebug, the function only works if the user already has the Google Photos app installed.
Far fewer people use the Files app than Google Photos, and most of the time, users will access their images through Google Photos directly. But for other occasions, such as when saving an image from a web page or downloading an email attachment, the Files app can prove invaluable as it lets you browse through the entire file system on your device. With the new floating button, manually sending images from Files to Google Photos is unnecessary.
You can see how the button functions in the short video clip below:
As is often the case with AssembleDebug’s discoveries, the feature isn’t currently accessible to end users, and there’s no guarantee that Google will roll it out to end users in this form or at all.
While the feature has so far been found only within the Files app, Google’s test suggests that other apps could gain similar Google Photos photo editing capabilities in the future. It would be handy to have access to the Google Photos editor from within messaging apps such as WhatsApp, for example. It could also offer users a more consistent system-wide photo editing experience.
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