Google Photos Will Once Again Let You Share Your Screenshots And More Via Partner Sharing

Google Photos is reverting a change that prevents some photos from being included in the Partner Sharing feature following user feedback, and now it’s optional.

In November 2024, Google Photos somewhat-quietly altered Partner Sharing to prevent images “from other apps” being included in sharing between users. Users noticed the change, but Google’s only acknowledgment was buried on a support page, and there was no option to go back.

That’s until now.

In a post this week, Google says it is now rolling out a toggle that allows users to choose whether or not content “from other apps” is shared via Partner Sharing. Screenshots, images downloaded from apps, and other content still won’t be shared by default, but the choice is now there.

Google explains:

Now, based on your feedback, we’re rolling out a new setting on Android to give you more control over partner sharing.
Once you switch on this setting on Android, screenshots or saved photos backed up from other apps (like social media) will now be shared with your partner automatically. To ensure privacy, the “Include content from other Android apps” setting is always off by default. However, you can enable or disable sharing at any time.
The setting also works retroactively. When you adjust the sharing settings, previously backed-up content is shared or unshared accordingly.

Google says that the behavior was initially changed with the thought that it would “reduce clutter and help keep your partner’s feed more focused,” but user feedback led to this new solution.

This change is now rolling out.