New controls for how you share albums in Google Photos

While sheltering in place, I’ve been using Google Photos to share snapshots of my daughter with our family, so we can stay connected when we can’t physically see each other. And this has been the case for many people—since the start of COVID-19, sharing in Google Photos has increased by 50 percent in some regions.

Last December, we launched direct sharing to make it easy to share one-off photos and videos in Google Photos by adding them to an ongoing, private conversation in the app. Today, we’re bringing a similar experience to shared albums. Rolling out this week, when sharing an album, the default option will be to share with a specific person or people via their Google account. This gives you more control over who’s added to the album.

You’ll still have the option to share albums in Google Photos via a link, which you can embed in an email, text, or blog to make it easy to share photos with people who don’t use Google Photos or have a Google account.

You have the option to turn link sharing on or off at any time and you can decide if you want to let other collaborators add photos to an album. You’ll also be able to remove someone from the album, which will remove the photos and videos they added.

Google Photos helps me share my toddler’s latest adventures and connect with the people I love. Whether I share an album via a link or with specific people, these controls make it easy and secure to share personal moments with my loved ones.