Google Relaunches AI Search for Photos With Key Fixes

Just three weeks after halting the initial rollout, Google is once again releasing its AI-driven "Ask Photos" feature, promising a significantly improved user experience this time around.

This powerful feature, powered by Gemini, allows you to search your photo library using natural language. You can ask complex questions like, "Show me the best photos from my trip to San Francisco," or even open-ended queries such as, "Which of my photos would make a good phone background?"

A Troubled Launch and User Feedback

The full rollout earlier this month was met with a wave of user complaints. Many found that Ask Photos was slow and often failed to surface the correct images. The issues were so significant that a project manager at Google publicly acknowledged that the feature was not yet up to par. These problems were not entirely new; ZDNET Senior Editor Sabrina Ortiz had a similarly frustrating experience during tests in February, concluding that it made the app worse.

What's New in the Relaunched Ask Photos

In a recent blog post, Google stated it has listened to the feedback and made critical changes. The company announced, "We're bringing the best of Photos' classic search feature into Ask Photos... and improving latency, so you can get fast help with simple and complex queries in one place."

This means that simple, one-word searches like "beach" or "pizza" will now deliver instant results, just like classic search. Meanwhile, Gemini will work in the background to process more complex, multi-faceted questions, providing a smoother and more efficient experience.

How to Opt Out of Ask Photos

Despite Google's confidence in the updates, the company still provides a way for users to opt out permanently. While the quick toggle to switch to classic search on the fly has been removed, you can disable the AI feature entirely in the settings.

To return to the classic search experience, follow these steps:

1. Tap your profile picture in the top-right corner of the Google Photos app.
2. Go to Settings, then Preferences.
3. Select Gemini features in Google Photos.
4. Toggle off the "Search with Ask Photos" option.

By turning this off, your search bar will revert to the original, non-AI functionality.