Google Photos adds chat feature to make it easier to send and like pictures

Google Photos added a new chat feature just in time to share all those holiday pictures. Instead of opening up another app to share photos, users can now send photos and videos via a a chat within the app.

The conversation option is rolling out over the next week to Google Photos on Android, iOS and the web. Once available, users can select a photo to send to one of their contacts directly rather than sending them a link to the image. Pictures can be saved and liked within the chat. 

"This gives you one place to find the moments you've shared with your friends and family and keep the conversation going," said Google's Janvi Shah in a blog post Tuesday. "You can like photos or comment in the conversation, and you can easily save these photos or videos to your own gallery."

To start, users will need to click on a picture in Google Photos, hit the share button and look for the "Send in Google Photos" option. A list of contacts will show up, but only those who are signed in with Google can view the conversation. To send pictures to more people, there's also an option to create a group chat. 

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