Key Facts

• Google Photos' Ask Photos feature, powered by Gemini, was designed to provide an easier way to navigate growing photo libraries, but it has been criticized for slow searches, poor results, and limited functionality.
• The company has added a toggle that lets users switch between Ask Photos and classic search with a single tap, allowing them to choose the best search experience for their query.
• The toggle appears after searching in the Photos library and allows users to instantly switch to the other search experience, even if they have Ask Photos turned off.
• For simpler queries, Google Photos will use the classic search tool, while more descriptive or complex queries will use Ask Photos by default, with the toggle providing an easy way to switch between the two.
• The new toggle is available in the latest version of Google Photos for both Android and iOS, giving users the best of both worlds and allowing them to immediately switch to classic search if Ask Photos returns irrelevant results.