Google Gallery is an offline alternative for Google Photos as a default gallery app.
Google Photos use up a lot of data even when you are not using your phone.
Google Gallery is an offline app, but has smart features like self categorisation.
We bet most of you haven't come across Google's Gallery App. If you think it's Google Photos, let me clarify, it's not. This is a completely different app which lets you view all your photos and videos on your phone.
Most phones have Google Photos as their default gallery app, especially the Google Pixel phones. Photos might have great editing features but it's not actually a gallery app like other phones such as Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi.
So, Google Gallery in that respect would be the perfect default gallery app but is way too underrated by the creators themselves. Let's first tick off the points of why Google Photos can't really be the default gallery app.
Google Photos app’s limitations
- Google Photos feel more like an editing app than a basic gallery that you require day to day. When you try to view an image there, it will just keep suggesting every possible edit that you might indulge in for that picture.
- Then coming to the point where you might have a feeling that Google Photos is more like cloud storage. You know if your photo is there on Google Photos, then you can have it forever when you switch devices. But that is not what you want your basic gallery to be like, always enquiring about what you want to do with the photo. I mean I would like to keep it, when I have clicked it.
- Also, Google Photos tend to use up your data even when you aren't operating on your phone. Mobile data in India is still quite expensive and not always you have access to Wi-Fi. So this is a major setback.
- Then comes the regular notifications pop-up asking you to make random collages and then showing memories good and bad which I didn't even ask for. Also, you need to understand that these aren't offered without your internet being drained out.
Now let's look into how Google Gallery can be different and better than Google Photos
Google Gallery app is a better default app
Google Gallery app was launched in 2019 and named as Gallery Go. This was an initiative by Google to recognise the issue that there is no default gallery app. So, how is Google Gallery a better option?
- As soon as you install Google Gallery app, there's nothing else to be done. You have all your device photos and videos already there. So, no extra effort.
- No need for the internet for anything on the Gallery app. You can do literally everything on the gallery app when you are offline. So you can quickly check your photos and videos without waiting for the internet to work properly and load all your content.
- The Google Gallery app has in-built basic editing tools like rotating, cropping and few filters too. Also you can anytime take the photo to any photo editing app and work on it there if you need anything more than basic editing.
- The app itself is smart enough to do some categorisation too, without any human interference. It can categorise people, selfies, food, places and so on.
Just one thing to worry about is that the app hasn't had any updates since November, 2022. This might not be a problem as this is a very simple and basic app. But again Play Store apps act up when you don't have regular updates.
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Druti Banerjee
Ayushi is a tech enthusiast learning the ropes while dishing out the latest tech news. And when she's not writing tech news, she loves playing BGMI. View Full Profile
