7 ways Apple Photos puts Google Photos to shame

02 Oct 2024, 19:42 by Parth Shah · Android Police

Apple Photos and Google Photos are two popular gallery apps. While Google Photos has its merits, Apple is quietly building a suite of features for iCloud Photos that sets it apart, leaving its Google counterpart behind on Android phones. From its customization features and powerful markup tools to deep integration within the Apple ecosystem, the iCloud Photos app edges out Google Photos in several areas.

In this post, I uncover the key areas where Apple Photos outshines Google Photos, showcasing how it's become the superior choice for managing my media library.

How to access Google Photos on any device

View and download your photos from anywhere

7 High on customization

Something that I didn't anticipate in an Apple vs. Google rivalry

Customization is one area in which iCloud Photos surprised me. With the latest iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 updates, Apple completely reimagined the default Photos app, providing numerous customization options to suit user preferences.

There isn't a bottom bar. It's just endless vertical scrolling with relevant headers. Scroll down and tap Customize & Reorder to rearrange different collections and personalize your view. That isn't all. The customization options appear under most of the collections, too.

For example, you can modify your pinned collections view and keep relevant items, such as selfies, albums, favorites, and more, for easy access. There's also an option to filter out screenshots and Shared With You media from the main gallery view. In comparison, Google Photos feels rigid, and you can't change or reorder anything.

6 Useful utilities built-in

Find your handwritten notes and receipts in no time

Apple Photos offers several utilities to filter your receipts, documents, handwriting, illustrations, QR Codes, recently viewed, shared, edited, saved, and imports with a single tap. Scroll down to the Utilities header, expand it, and pick a relevant option to find your images in no time.

The trick is more helpful when you want to create a movie out of your recently edited trip images. Open the Recently Edited section under Utilities and slide to the Movie tab to start the process.

5 Copy and paste edits

Makes the batch editing process a bliss

The ability to copy and paste your edits is a major productivity booster in the Apple Photos app. Here is how it works. You can adjust the image with different tools like brightness, contrast, and highlights. You can also apply filters, crop the image in a specific aspect ratio, and copy all the edits from the top menu.

You can now open another image, go to the editor, and paste those edits with a single tap. It's handy when you want to edit a bunch of photos with a specific filter and style. With iOS 18, Apple has gone a step further, allowing you to copy a specific style from a photo. For instance, you can copy the filter and crop style and leave other adjustments out. Check the screenshot above for references.

Our top 16 Google Photos editing tips and tricks to help you get the best smartphone photos

Don't dismiss Google Photos as an average photo editing app

4 Better markup tools

Goes beyond highlighter and text

Google did an average job with markup tools that support pen, highlighter, and text only. Apple Photos app is a step ahead by offering an option to add shapes like stars, arrows, circles, squares, stickers, text, and signatures. On Android, you must rely on third-party tools to complete these basic tasks.

3 Thoughtful AI integration

Surprise! Apple Photos is already AI-ready

While Google Photos is yet to receive Gemini integration, the iCloud Photos app has Apple Intelligence to level up your memories in no time. For instance, you can type an image description like Paris outings or a day at the beach, gather relevant images, and create and share a movie in seconds.

The Apple Photos app also shows stunning wallpaper suggestions at the bottom. It uses your existing media library, applies filters, and shows beautiful suggestions.

My Google Photos library is getting to be unmanageable

And it gets worse by the day

2 Apple Music integration

Integrate your favorite tunes in your movie or memories

Apple Photos has a neat Apple Music integration where you can pick any track as a background song for your movie. I'm surprised Google Photos hasn't picked up YouTube Music integration. Instead, it lets you pick from basic tunes or an offline music library.

1 Availability on Apple TV

View those cherished memories on a big screen effortlessly

This is another example of Apple services working seamlessly across all its platforms. Aside from Mac, iPhone, and iPad, Photos is available on Apple TV. You can open the Photos app on your TV and browse your memories without your iPhone or screen mirroring. In contrast, Google doesn't offer the Photos app on Android TV.

Hey Google, where's Google Photos for Android TV?

Apple does it with iCloud Photos; why can't you, Google?

Apple Photos outshines Google Photos

While Google Photos remains a popular choice for many, the search giant's gallery app can take a lot of clues from Apple to deliver a superior user experience. So, next time you're considering your photo management options on iPhone or iPad, don't dismiss Apple Photos straightaway. It might surprise you with its abilities.

Google is working on a Gemini-powered Ask Photos feature to find relevant memories based on text prompts. Check out our separate guide to learn everything about Ask Photos in Google Photos.