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Google Photos could soon give you more control over created animations
Oct 7, 2026 — 4:26 AM ET
- Google is working on new speed options for animations created in Google Photos.
- Users might soon be able to choose among 0.25x, 0.5x, 1x, 1.5x, and 2x speeds for animations they create.
- The app will also let users preview animations before saving them to the camera roll.
Google Photos offers several useful photo-editing tools that can really make your pictures pop. It also lets you create animations by combining multiple images and turning them into a GIF. However, when you create a GIF from multiple pictures, the app doesn’t let you change the animation’s duration, leaving you stuck with the default speed, which might not be what you want. Fortunately, Google is now working to change that.
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Digging through the latest version of the Google Photos app (v7.96.0.99), we found strings that strongly hint at an improved workflow while creating a GIF animation from multiple photos. With a bit of tinkering, we also got the UI to show up on our test device. Check out the screenshots below:
Basically, when you’re creating an animation with multiple photos, the app will let you choose a playback speed of 0.25x, 0.5x, 1x, 1.5x, or 2x. You will also be able to preview the animation before saving it. Right now, when you create an animation in Google Photos, you don’t get the option to preview it before saving it to your gallery.
The strings also confirm that GIFs created in Google Photos will be saved directly to the camera roll and backed up to Google Photos. Here are all the strings we’ve found related to the GIF editing feature in Google Photos:
<string name="photos_create_gifeditor_error_saving">Failed to save GIF</string>
<string name="photos_create_gifeditor_error_sharing">Failed to share GIF</string>
<string name="photos_create_gifeditor_exporting_content_description">Exporting GIF…</string>
<string name="photos_create_gifeditor_loading_content_description">Loading GIF</string>
<string name="photos_create_gifeditor_preview_content_description">Preview GIF</string>
<string name="photos_create_gifeditor_speed_default_content_description">Default speed</string>
<string name="photos_create_gifeditor_speed_default_label">1×</string>
<string name="photos_create_gifeditor_speed_double_content_description">Double speed</string>
<string name="photos_create_gifeditor_speed_double_label">2×</string>
<string name="photos_create_gifeditor_speed_half_content_description">Half speed</string>
<string name="photos_create_gifeditor_speed_half_label">0.5×</string>
<string name="photos_create_gifeditor_speed_one_point_five_content_description">One and a half times speed</string>
<string name="photos_create_gifeditor_speed_one_point_five_label">1.5×</string>
<string name="photos_create_gifeditor_speed_quarter_content_description">Quarter speed</string>
<string name="photos_create_gifeditor_speed_quarter_label">0.25×</string>
<string name="photos_gifeditor_ui_save_confirmation_message">This animation will be saved to your device in the Camera folder which will be visible to all accounts on the device. This animation will also be backed up to Google Photos, for the account you’re using for backup.</string>
<string name="photos_gifeditor_ui_save_confirmation_title">Save this animation?</string> This addition could help users who often create animations in Google Photos and want more control over how those animations turn out. The feature isn’t live yet, but hopefully, Google will roll it out soon.
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