Last year, Google made several enhancements to the search capabilities of Google Photos, including the introduction of the AI-powered Ask Photos feature, which utilizes Gemini to help retrieve specific images and information from users’ libraries. Today, Google announced an exciting update: a new search functionality that allows users to search for specific text within their photos. In a recent post on the Google Photos Help Community forum, Google explained how this new feature works.
When you conduct a search in Google Photos, the results will now include visual matches alongside those that contain text relevant to your search terms. By adding quotation marks around your query, users can filter results to display only those that contain the exact text specified. This functionality extends to both the text present in images and the text associated with photo data, enabling users to search by camera model, file name, or caption.
While it was already possible to search text contained in photo metadata, the use of quotation marks provides a more precise way to refine search results to exact matches. I have already accessed this feature, and since Google’s announcement did not specify a rollout schedule, it appears that the new search capabilities are available to users at this time. As Google Photos recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, enhancements that simplify the management of an ever-growing photo library are certainly welcomed.
A few months ago, there were indications that Google Photos would undergo additional modifications to improve search usability in another way, specifically through relocating the app’s search bar to a lower position. However, this change has yet to be implemented in the app.
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