My Spotify Wrapped fell flat, but Google Photos nailed my 2024 recap

My Spotify Wrapped recap landed a couple of days ago and, as has become customary for the past few years, I rushed to check out my yearly stats, hoping to get a smile on my face and some funky stats and details about my 2024 music habits. But something felt off. This year’s Wrapped lacked heart. It was very factual and based on very simple stats that I can easily get from the stats.fm integration any other day of the year. I don’t wait for Wrapped to see the stats I know; I wait for it to see those I don’t.

Granted, for me, it was a bit unexpected to see Loic Nottet as my most listened to artist — I expected Imagine Dragons, Blind Channel, or Connor Price — but I knew he’d be in my top five. That was the extent of my Wrapped surprise, though. Italian songs in my top five? I knew that. I quickly sped through the whole thing, watched the artist videos (no AI podcast for me in France), and left the app without sharing anything from it.

In contrast, I woke up today to my Google Photos 2024 recap and, wow, what a different experience that was! I was smiling for several minutes straight, catching up on all the funky stats and bits that were tallied up.

My most photographed face? My husband. But the second? My neighbors’ cats! Ha! I shared a screenshot of the 116 photos I’d taken of Machu and Picchu (yes, their names are as adorable as they are) with their owners, joking about my (uh) lack of obsession with their kittens.

In third and fourth place were my husband’s close friend and his wife whose wedding we attended this year. I was testing the Honor 200 Pro at the time and took a bunch of awesome black-and-white Harcourt-inspired portraits, so yes, they both occupied a high place among my most-photographed people. I snapped another screenshot of that and sent it to them, as a nice reminder that they’d been one of my most beloved photo subjects this year.

The person I smiled the most with? Again, my husband. How many days in a row did I take at least one photo in? 19. My most photographed colors? Blue, green, and red. I would’ve guessed the first two, given how often I like taking pics outdoors, but not the third. But hey, red it is. My photo vibes? Apparently, I’m a culture club member, always outdoors, and a super fan. Given that I’d attended nine concerts, been on more than 10 day trips or vacations, and visited dozens of monuments, museums, and expos in 2024, I think that perfectly nailed my year.

I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as I watched every recap memory in Google Photos until the end. The contrast with Spotify’s Wrapped was stark. The latter felt detached, heartless, while Photos was fun, unexpected, and adorable. Maybe it’s because Photos’ recap is 100% mine, unique, and impossible to replicate, while Spotify is just music that anyone else can listen to. But I think there’s more to it.

Photos knew how to delight me by offering information and stats I didn’t expect. When I opened my recap, I thought I’d see the total number of photos and videos I’d taken, plus my most photographed people, but I didn’t expect the other quirky stats. The day streak, the colors, the vibe, the most smiles — those were all stats I wouldn’t have guessed or thought about, and they were delightful little surprises. On top of that, Photos’ scrolling filmstrips in the background before revealing the final results were so awesome. I paused over a dozen times to see a photo I’d forgotten about or remember a moment I cherished.

So, hey, Google Photos team, congrats on nailing the yearly recap format more than the company that made it famous. Spotify Wrapped walked so Google Photos’ recap can run, and I’m here for it.