Google has temporarily halted the rollout of its Gemini-powered “Ask Photos” feature in Google Photos. This decision comes after users voiced concerns about slow performance and inconsistent results. The company initially introduced the feature to enhance photo searches using natural language queries. For example, users could ask, “pictures of my dog eating on the sofa” or “me in a swimming pool,” and expect precise results.
The Ask Photos feature relies on Gemini’s multimodal capabilities to understand both context and subject. It was designed to offer a smarter, more intuitive way to find images. However, users reported issues with long loading times and poor accuracy. As a result, Google is pausing the rollout to address these concerns.
Jamie Aspinall, product manager at Google Photos, explained the reason behind the delay. In a statement shared via The Verge, he said the experience wasn’t yet meeting expectations for latency, quality, and user experience. Currently, only a small group of users have access to the feature.
If you are among the users with access, you can still use Ask Photos. However, you should be prepared for slower response times. If you prefer not to wait, you can turn the feature off in the settings menu.
Google has promised a fix within two weeks. The company says the improved version will match the speed of the original photo search.
Interestingly, Google made this announcement just as it unveiled a new upgrade to its classic photo search. The updated version now allows users to search for specific text inside photos. To use it, simply wrap your search terms in quotation marks. Google Photos will then show only those images that include the exact word or phrase.
In addition to search improvements, Google recently rolled out several new features to celebrate the app’s tenth anniversary. These updates include a redesigned image editor and advanced AI-powered tools. Features like Reimagine and Auto Frame, once exclusive to the Pixel 9, are now available for everyone.
Google also introduced a new way to share albums using QR codes. This makes sharing easier and more convenient, especially with friends or family who aren’t using Google Photos.
With these updates, Google continues to refine and expand its photo management experience. However, the temporary pause on Ask Photos shows that even advanced AI tools need time to mature. Google appears committed to fixing the issues before resuming a broader rollout.
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