Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
When Google Photos introduced Memories in 2019, my eyes rolled so far to the back of my head that I risked going permanently blind. At the time, every app was chasing TikTok and Instagram Stories, implementing those bite-sized swipeable short videos for dwindling attention spans, and I thought Google running after that trend was misguided and pointless. I have my photos and videos right there, in front of me, so why would I need reminders about them?
For several years, each time I set up my phone, I would go into Google Photos and disable all notifications coming from the app, including Memories. I didn’t want random reminders of things I’ve done and places I’ve been; I could consult them on my own terms. Or so I thought. During those years, whenever I opened the Photos app, I rarely, if ever, clicked on any Memory on top of my homescreen. To me, this was a waste of screen estate that could be used to display my most recent photos instead.
How often do you check out Google Photos’ Memories?
20 votes
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
But then I got the Pixel 9 XL Pro, and for the first time, I forgot to disable notifications from Google Photos. The first Memories notification landed a few days later — a selection of photos from my recent trip to Albania. I was back home in the dreadful Paris rain, and seeing those blue Mediterranean waters was so bittersweet yet so perfectly timed. I swiped through the photos, smiling to myself, and closed it.
I used to disable all Photos notifications, especially Memories. I left them on by mistake once and was surprised by how cool they are.
At that point, I’d realized I’d forgotten to disable Memories notifications, but I decided to give it a couple more days before I gave that the axe, as usual. Little did I know that Memories were about to sneakily win me over.
Over the next months, I kept randomly getting Memories notifications from Photos. Sometimes a mix of snaps from a recent event or trip, sometimes a reminder about important moments from years past, and sometimes an unexpected collection of similar photos across the years. Beers and drinks with my husband, photos of him walking in various countries, nature hikes across Europe, random video highlights, and more.
Random and unexpected Memories make me smile and reach out to people to start a chat.
In a way, Memories started feeling like the photo frame feature I use on my Pixel Tablet, Nest Hub, and Google TV Streamer. They’re a delightful reminder, every now and then, of a fun moment, a friend, a family member — a real and very personal memory. As I do with the other digital frames, I find myself grabbing screenshots of these memories and using them to kickstart a conversation with the person in them. I can’t put a value on human connection, and when a smartphone feature makes me want to connect more with the people I love, I call it a win.
Plus, I don’t know if it’s my age, my living away from home, or what, but I find myself appreciating life and its moments a lot more these days. These Memories tap into so many core needs for me right now: feeling connected to loved ones, reminding me of how awesome my life is and how blessed I am, and trying to make a meaningful dent in the universe.
The Memories that Google Photos has surfaced have also been full of surprise collections. I take an inordinate amount of photos, and I’m usually good at remembering them, but still, Memories has found a way to link together moments and shots that I’d mentally filed in different boxes. It was like Google had combed through the mess of my life and built bridges between them I’d never suspected. Sometimes, the links between photos are conventional, but sometimes, there’s something unexpected about the way it groups photos and videos together.
It’s as if Google combs through the mess of my life and finds links between moments that I’d never suspect.
And do I need to mention the end-of-year recaps we got last month in Photos? More of these, please, Google. It’s not every day that I get to experience human-centric tech done well, and Memories are exactly that. Sorry for underestimating and misunderstanding the feature for so long.
