Google Photos continues to refine its search and sorting features to make it easier to find old photos. According to an APK analysis by Android Authority, Google is introducing new search filters that let you search your library for the most recent photos that are related to or exactly match a search term.
The filters appear to be of two new types: “Most Recent” and “Best Match”. The “Most Recent” filter sorts the images chronologically, with the most recent photos at the top. The “Best Match” filter shows the photos that most closely match the search term. To some extent, Google Photos already does this, but the result can be hit or miss.
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Best match filter for Google Photos.
For example, Android Authority points out that searching for “flower” in Google Photos currently doesn’t return particularly relevant results and often shows photos without flowers in the frame. With the new Best Match filter, the app only shows photos with a flower in the frame. That’s certainly handy when you’re trying to find a specific photo you want to share.
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Scrollable gallery from Google Photos.
Google is also working on introducing a way to display scrollable albums in search results. Neither of these features is currently live, but they will likely arrive in a future update, although we don’t have a confirmed timeline yet.
While Samsung’s Android 15 update is delayed indefinitely and Google is still focused on patches for Android 14, the good news is that this is an app update, so if an APK teardown is floating around, the rollout is likely imminent.
