iPhone 6S users can now update Google Photos to version 1.8.0 to enjoy full support of Apple’s Live Photos feature. The new update also comes with full compatibility with the iPad Pro.
Apple’s Live Photos feature
Live Photos is a unique feature that was introduced along with the latest line of iPhones back in September 2015. Somewhat similar to GIF files, Live Photos are full-resolution images with motion and sound that’s recorded each time you shoot a photo. Users can then tap and hold the photo to see it come to life. A number of third-party apps started support for Live Photos when iOS 9.1 rolled out, with big companies like Tumblr and Facebook eventually following suit.
The update is especially useful for those with plenty of Live Photos, as one of these is roughly the same size as a 12-megapixel image, so they can take up a lot of space on your phone.
Full compatibility for iPad Pro
For iPad Pro users, the app is now optimized to support the native 2732×2048 resolution of the 12.9″ tablet. In the previous version, the app simply scaled up to fit the screen without using the tablet’s full resolution. The same iPad Pro support is also available in the latest version of the YouTube iOS app.
Additional features
In addition to supporting Live Photos, Google Photos is now compatible with iOS 9’s multitasking Split View feature. Users can now use Google Photos simultaneously with other Split View-compatible apps available on iPad mini 4, iPad Air 2, and iPad Pro.
A handful of new tweaks are also available on the latest update. Users can now enjoy more streamlined app navigation, reduced cache usage for devices low on space, and other handy performance improvements.
So live photos are like short video clips but high quality?
Hmmm having something like this hanging on a wall would be like something from Harry Potter.
I like the idea of having it on a wall like a photo in a frame, maybe with a sensor to detect when someone is standing infront, but it’s all too expensive at the moment. And even though I seem to photograph loads, I never look back on them. I think photos need to be around me for me to appreciate them instead of tucked away on a device, let alone a photo/video hybrid 🙂
It is indeed something along those lines, a lot of gaming conventions I went to in the past couple of years had tablets with live photos on their walls, it was surreal to see what the world can become with such complex technology.
I recently looked at a Virtual Reality video and I’ve been mesmerized for a while now.. technology is advancing at a really fast rate and it’s amazing!
It seems like an interesting feature although I don’t feel it’s at the same quality of other highly innovative or convenient features that have come out in the past.. I will definitely give it a shot but it does not seem like something that will be so groundbreaking.
I am wondering how many people actually consider this useful?
As an active photographer, trust me it is. The quality is actually really good and I’ve been using this feature ever since I updated it. I was so happy when I saw the update. It was one of those “Finally!” moments. Live Photos are similar to GIFs as the article said, but with better quality. It’s also easier to make and manage so that’s a plus.
You’d honestly be surprised as to how soon you can get used to a feature like this. There are times where I see other photos on different phones, and I get surprised that the picture isn’t moving when I see it.
Imagine taking a photo to a group of people that don’t know, you see them moving in their natural environment, and then bam, screenshot.
You really need to try it to see how cool it is.
Definitely a cool concept, but I remember seeing and using these a couple years ago on my Nokia Windows Phone. Though back then it didn’t have any audio in the pictures.
Still, I took a picture while in my car and it still feels so cool seeing the cars move by and then go still for the picture.
More recently, I took a group photo where someone turned his face away at the very ending. It was hilarious watching the live photo show him looking at the camera, then getting distracted and facing somewhere else right before the photo took.
I watched an ad where they show how this new feature looks like, I thought it was really amazing and mind blowing! It’s like truly capturing those special moments, so you can later see them unfold all over again. To be honest this feature would be the only reason I’d consider getting an iPhone. Just amazing 🙂
With live photos can you make actual .gif files using the continuous shot feature or something similar? If so that is really cool. I have an iPad but I don’t use Google photos, funny enough I do use it on my phone because it’s an Android. It sounds cool, I’d like to see the continuous shot turn into videos on the front page and then either exportable to .gif or video file, or just be able to be broken down into the individual frames. That would be really amazing.
This is really cool! It’s nice that Google is trying to support the other big phone OS. I wish it was the other way around, too. I’m pretty sure they could learn a lot from each other, but of course business before anything.
Also, aren’t these Live Photos basically WebMs? I mean, they serve the same purpose.
This seems really interesting, I’m excited to try this one day, maybe. But it doesn’t seems that different of what we have seen before, I mean, you just can record a video instead, lol. But I think that this feature maybe can be good for artists, or that’s one thing that I would really like to see, I’m pretty sure that one of them would do something really cool and creative with this feature and I can’t wait to see it. 🙂