Google Photos launches today with free, unlimited photos and videos
Debuting at Google I/O 2015, the photo service lets you store, organize and share an unlimited amount of high-def content for free.
Google announced today at Google I/O 2015 an all-new product called Google Photos. This aims to be the one-stop app for all home photos and videos. The product lets people store, organize and share photos and videos easily.
Google says Google Photos will automatically upload all photos and videos taken with an Android device to Google Drive. The app will then intelligently organize your shots, identifying the people that are in them, the location the photos were taken, and the time.
Google Photos includes editing functions, and the Assistant feature allows users to automatically create animated images, group photos into collages, and string videos together into a story, complete with music, all from within the Google Photos mobile app. This functionality was previously available through Google+'s Auto Awesome functionality, but the new Google Photos app promises to add quite a bit more control.
Most importantly, the new product now includes unlimited online storage space, meaning users can store an unlimited amount of high-quality photos (up to 16 megapixels) and videos (up to 1080p), for free.
The audience loudly cheered to hear Google is lifting its resolution limit on Google Photos. Previously, only photos up to 2,048x2,048 pixels didn't count against people's storage limits with Google.
But the 16-megapixel limit irritated some pros. "Google had a chance to best Flickr today with photo storage but failed. I wonder why high-res original photos are so scary," asked photographer Thomas Hawk on Twitter. He chiefly shoots with a 22-megapixel Canon 5D Mark III; plenty of pros use 36-megapixel Nikon models, and Canon has pushed up to 50 megapixels.
Google Photos is slated to be available later today.
CNET's Stephen Shankland contributed to this report.
See all of today's Google I/O news.