Google is testing a way to speed up photo sharing in Google Photos by allowing you to skip one of its latest new features.
According to a report from app teardown specialist Assemble Debug, Google is considering backtracking somewhat on a significant change it recently made to how single images are shared in Google Photos — before many of us have even seen it.
Google has been experimenting with ways to help users make their photos look their best when sharing them by providing simple one-tap enhancements. However, users could soon be able to turn this feature off to make sharing quicker.
Some Google Photos users recently reported seeing a new “Quick Edit” feature when sharing photos one at a time. If you also have the Quick Edit feature available (most users don’t have it yet), it will pop up at the beginning of the sharing process, prompting you to crop and enhance the image before you send it.
Once in Quick Edit mode, you can tap the Enhanced button to apply Google’s suggested edits automatically or opt to keep the original version before cropping your picture with the regular Google Photos cropping tool. Quick Edit appears to be a refined version of the unreleased Enhance Photo feature discovered in an earlier version of the Google Photos app.
Google Photos Quick Edit — An Annoyance To Some
Unfortunately, not everyone is happy with the feature as it stands. As you can see in this Reddit thread, where one annoyed user asks, “Can you turn off ‘Quick Edit’ before sharing?” This issue is that, for many, Quick Edit is simply an unnecessary step that gets in the way every time they share a photo.
Those who care enough to edit their photos will often do so before they decide to share them and don’t want to be prompted to re-edit them every time. In many cases, users will share images with an app such as Instagram, which automatically offers its own editing and cropping tools, effectively prompting them to edit each picture twice. Similarly, less technically minded users may feel confused or intimidated when confronted with new and unexpected editing controls.
Google Photos Quick Edit — How To Turn It Off
Google is now working to resolve this issue. According to Android Authority, Google has begun testing a new pop-up button labeled “Turn off quick edit” that will allow users to permanently skip the Quick Edit function and return Google Photos sharing to how it used to work. For those who want to keep Quick Edit turned on, Google is also testing a new, streamlined cropping tool built into Quick Edit rather than relying on the regular Google Photos cropping tool.
For now, quick Edit appears to be available only to selected users while Google fine-tunes its operation. Thankfully, it looks like it will improve somewhat before it is rolled out to a wider audience. Let’s hope Google Photos strikes the right balance between convenience and functionality before that happens.
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