Google: AI-powered "Ask Photos" can soon be easily switched off

Google introduced Artificial Intelligence (AI) some time ago for searching for images in the Photos app for Android. Although the "Ask Photos" function is not yet available everywhere, many users complain that they cannot find the photos they are looking for or not enough of them. Google is now announcing that the AI-powered photo search can soon be easily switched off and switched to classic search. This should also be possible here soon, as "Ask Photos" is set to come to Europe starting this week.

The data group had already presented "Ask Photos with Gemini" in 2024. This experimental function, still experimental, was one of the cool AI products from Google I/O that hardly anyone understands. Google's AI model, specially trained and used only for this image search function, is used to understand natural language search queries and find corresponding images with the desired motifs. However, about a year later, Google temporarily suspended the AI-powered search function "Ask Photos" due to various problems.

Complaints about AI search results

Even almost two years after its announcement, "Ask Photos" is not yet available worldwide. Reasons could include various user complaints, for example on Reddit. The AI function reportedly does not find the desired images on the user's own smartphone, or the search results are less accurate than before. While it is possible to switch off Gemini for Google Photos, Google has hidden this option in the Photos app settings, so many users overlook it.

But now Shimrit Ben-Yair, who is responsible for Google Photos, Google One, and AI subscriptions at Google, explains that users will be able to switch off the AI search in the Photos app in the future. Users will soon be able to switch between AI-powered and classic search in the Photos app with a simple toggle, she writes in a post on X. This function is reportedly due to user demands for more control over search results.

So far, "Ask Photos" is not available in Germany, according to Google, but it is in more than 100 other countries. Interestingly, European countries are not among them, not even Great Britain, although the function is available in other English-speaking countries like Australia and the USA. Language limitations are unlikely to be the reason, as "Ask Photos" also supports German, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.

However, the Google manager announced in response to user questions on X that the AI-powered search in the Photos app will be rolled out in Europe starting this week. However, she did not say whether the option to switch off the AI is one of the reasons for the delay in its introduction within the EU.

(fds)