Google launches Gallery Go for those who want offline Google Photos

Google has announced a new gallery app designed for offline use called Gallery Go. In a blog post published earlier today, Google said the app would help “first time smartphone owners” manage their photo libraries and edit images. 

It’s a titchy app, coming in at just 10MB, and it doesn’t rely on cloud backup services like the regular Google Photos app (it’s basically a lightweight version of that). Instead, the app is designed for emerging markets where copious amounts of device storage and internet access aren’t always available.  

Gallery Go by Google Photos, to give the app its full title, uses AI to automatically organize your photos. This is said to help users quickly access the images they want — be it a selfie or a perhaps a photo of an important document — without them needing to label the images themselves.

Gallery Go also supports MicroSD cards, but it’s not immediately clear if all of the features work with photos stored on MicroSD cards, or if they have to be transferred to the internal storage first. It would be a boon if it did work with photos stored on MicroSD cards though, since you can buy high memory capacity cards far cheaper than high memory capacity phones. 

Finally, the app supports Google Photos’ “auto enhance” button to improve images with a single tap, and you can choose from a “variety of filters” to further enhance your photos.

The app available globally from today but Google said some of its features may be restricted to certain regions. It’s free and compatible with phones running Android 8.1 Oreo or higher. 

Regular Google Photos users may not find much of interest here, but if you are keen to try it out, find it on Google Play via the button below. 

Read also: Google Photos Guide: Everything you need to know