Google Photos adds Memories, a private archive that looks like Instagram Stories

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Google Photos adds features to encourage memories, starting with a new tool that brings back old photos and videos on their birthday in a format similar to Instagram Stories. The feature, called "Memories", is starting to be used by users today.

Previously, Photos invited you to extract old photos with a feature called "Rediscover This Day", which would drop them in the Wizard tab of the application. Now, they will appear at the top of your photo gallery as small circles that will be familiar to anyone using Instagram. Tap to view a selection of photos and videos you've taken that day in previous years, from last year to your Google Photos archive.

You will not see all the photos or videos that are captured, the algorithms will pick a selection based on a variety of signals, said David Lieb, Product Manager for Google Photos. "Not all memories are created equal," Lieb said. For this purpose, you can also hide people or periods of time in Memories – or disable the function.

Apps that help you rediscover old photos are popular since Timehop started consolidating your old social media messages into one place. Memories goes further by rediscovering photos and videos that may never have been shared.

Over the next few months, you'll also be able to share photos and videos with your friends and family in a more conversational format that also recalls an Instagram feature – in this case, its direct messages. That's right: Photos will soon become Google's latest email application, following the proud tradition of Allo, Duo, Hangouts, Google Chat and many other apps whose names have been lost in the past. 'history.

Google also wants to embed more photos in the real world and earn money by doing so. The company announced today that you can now order 4 x 6 photo prints directly from the app and retrieve them the same day from over 11,000 CVS Pharmacy and Walmart stores.

You can also order canvas prints of your favorite photos in the US and have them shipped to your home. Canvas prints are available in three sizes – 8 x 8, 12 x 14 and 16 x 20 – the smallest size is $ 19.99.

Taken together, these moves help Google strengthen the social features of one of its most popular apps, while providing it with ways to make money. (Hosting photos and videos of over a billion people in high resolution is not cheap.)

The memories will begin to be available today on Android and iOS.

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