Google has partially paused the rollout of its Gemini-powered “Ask Photos” feature in Google Photos, which lets users search images using conversational phrases like “Alice and me laughing.”
Reason for the Pause and Planned Improvements
The feature, first announced at last year’s Google I/O, began reaching select Android and iOS users in September. However, Google Photos product manager Jamie Aspinall said the rollout was paused at a small scale due to issues with latency, quality, and user experience. An improved version is expected within two weeks, aiming to restore the speed and accuracy users expect.
This is not the first time Google has paused an AI feature rollout. The company had to halt AI Overviews last year after the tool produced inaccurate responses and also temporarily blocked Gemini’s image generation due to erroneous outputs.
At the same time, Google introduced a new search feature in Google Photos that allows users to find exact text matches in photo file names, camera models, and captions by using quotation marks — a more precise way to search within photos.
What The Author Thinks
Pausing AI features to fix issues before wider release shows Google’s commitment to delivering reliable tools. Early AI technologies need time and careful testing to meet user expectations and avoid undermining trust.
