British Couple (Photo : Reuters/Luke MacGregor)
Android's Google Photos app has just been updated, making it super easy to find people such as best friends and close relatives, or avoid others including ex-lovers and arch enemies. The facial detection feature is already available in the United States, and is now launching in Canada, Latin America, parts of Asia, and Australia. The software's 1.8 version automatically groups faces from the whole image library into a folder of images shown as a thumbnail picture.
Google Photos' facial detection tech is also now available in the Caribbean, Middle East, Africa, and New Zealand. Users must tap the Search button, which is a magnifying glass found in the screen's lower-right corner, according to Daily Mail.
After pressing on the face they do not want to see, a multi-select interface is launched so they can pick any number of people. The last step is to tap the "Hide" button. Smartphone and tablet owners can later undo hiding people's photos by selecting the "Hide & Show" option.
Users can then sort the snapshot photos. The created folders can also be labeled for faster access.
This new feature allows Android users to hide a photo instead of deleting it, so it does not show up when they scroll in the People tab. It could be a picture of an ex that brings back painful memories, or the image of a cruel or annoying enemy who makes them angry as a bear.
The photos will stay in the photo collection on the Web and mobile device. However, they will be hidden, and also banned from the "Rediscover This Day" tab, according to PC Mag.
The app's update is now available for Android device users. It will soon roll out for iOS and the Web.
Facebook has a similar feature named "On This Day." It includes tools to remove memories of past relationships from News Feed.
Google Photos launched in May, and recently hit a big milestone of 100 million users. It provides free unlimited storage for pictures up to 16 megapixels, and high-definition (HD) video up to 1080 pixels.
