Google’s previous ventures into the wild world of social media have typically not panned out so well, which could be part of the reason that a new app that was uncovered by inside sources has seemingly scaled back its purview a bit to focus more on photo sharing. The in-development app, as yet unnamed, was reportedly supposed to be unveiled at this year’s Google I/O, if all goes well. The app’s functions weren’t exactly described in great detail, but it would seem that the app allows a group of people to edit a photo together, then share it around, and also includes some of Google’s own smarts. Using the magic of machine learning and neural networking, the app is reportedly able to identify objects and people in order to help classify and customize photos.
The app was originally reported on by TechCrunch, who got a hold of the information from an insider that they have not named. This insider revealed the nature of the in-development app, but not the name or a time frame for official release. The described group photo editing app may have other functions, but if so, those have not been uncovered at this time. Given Google’s rocky past in the social media world and the piecemeal approach they’ve been taking to social and messaging lately, it’s quite likely that these features are the end of the line for this app, and it will tie into the rest of Google’s app ecosystem.
If this report is true then Google’s timing coincides with the unveiling of a similar app that comes from Apple called Clips. While it can’t be said whether or not this is a coincidence, it is quite obvious that, much like all of Google’s other apps, this new one will face stiff competition from all sides. Google’s approach to an ecosystem lately seems to be to simply throw apps and services at users to see what sticks, and given the climate around the internet and apps at the moment, that may be a pretty smart move, allowing Google to focus on the facets of their ecosystem that can generate good money or that need serious work.