- Google has officially announced the rollout of an ON/OFF toggle switch for “Ask Photos” in the Google Photos app for Android and iOS.
- The feature, originally teased for mid-March 2026, has now officially launched.
- This update is for users who prefer the traditional, instant keyword search over the AI-powered “Ask Photos” search experience.
In mid-July 2026, Google began rolling out a toggle switch for the Android and iOS versions of the Google Photos app, allowing users to easily enable or disable “Ask Photos,” the search feature integrated with Google’s “Gemini” AI.
On Monday, July 20, 2026 (local time), Google officially announced the rollout of this “Ask Photos” ON/OFF toggle switch for the Google Photos app on Android and iOS.
The toggle switch to switch between “Ask Photos” search and traditional keyword search was a feature originally announced in mid-March 2026 by Shimrit ben-yair (@shimritby), the head of Google Photos. Following this, in late May 2026, a setting allowing users to choose between “Classic (Fast)” and “Ask (Powerful)” was rolled out for the iOS version of the Google Photos app. Now, the toggle switch for both Android and iOS has finally been officially deployed.
The “Ask Photos” toggle switch now rolling out to Android and iOS is designed for users who want to use the legacy search function, which provides instant search results for keywords, alongside the AI-powered “Ask Photos.” Turning the toggle OFF enables standard keyword search, while turning it ON allows you to utilize “Ask Photos” search.
Please note that turning the “Ask Photos” toggle OFF does not opt you out of “Ask Photos” entirely; the toggle is intended purely as a temporary search preference switcher.
Google Photos App Links
Source: Google (https://support.google.com/photos/thread/453170578/find-your-memories-faster-with-new-ask-photos)