Software
Google Photos Implements Paying Color Pop Option in the Edit Suite
Google introduced a new Android editor with AI suggestions & more granular controls to allow users to directly edit their photos in the app last month. Suggestions as Enhance & Color Pop have been added to allow users to make changes to their photos. A Google spokesperson confirmed that it is now adding a new version of its Color Pop feature that users can add to any photo, without limiting it to just those with in-depth information. Google Photos users will need to purchase Google One subscription to use this new paid Color Pop feature. The report suggests that Google plans to roll out more tools in the editing suite that might require a paid plan.
Engadget reached out to Google after XDA Developer Mishaal Rahman tweeted that Google Photos' Color Pop feature is locked behind a Google One paywall. Google responded that Color Pop is available free of charge for photos with in-depth information, but users will need to purchase Google One membership to use the feature on any other images.
In Google Photos, color pop is a feature that is still available for anyone to use, at no cost, for in-depth photos (such as portrait mode). As part of the ongoing roll-out that started earlier this year, Google One members can apply the feature to even more photos of people, including those without in-depth information, said Google spokesperson Engadget.
In the future, Google is looking to add additional premium features to Photos. XDA Developers dug into Google Photos 5.18 update code and found several strings to prompt users to use premium editing tools to gain access to Google One membership. The report says it found hints of prompts like As a Google One member, you get access to extra editing features, Get extra editing features with a Google One membership, Unlock this feature and more with a Google One membership, and Unlock more editing features and {storage amount} storage with a Google One membership.
There is no clarity as to what these new premium editing features may be, and Google is expected to provide clarity on that soon. The search giant has already started adding Color Pop to any photo behind a paywall. Users should see more of these premium editing tools inside the app in the future.
