Google Photos for Android Testing an Easier Way to Hide Faces from Memories: Report

Google Photos – the media manager on Android devices – may be developing new functionality which makes hiding certain people from the photo library a lot easier, according to a report. With this feature, users may be able to choose select faces and hide them from the Memories tab without too much workaround. It was reportedly spotted during an APK teardown of the app for the Android platform. Notably, the app was recently spotted testing another new feature which may enable users to share their weekly highlights.

Hide People in Google Photos

In a report, Android Authority's C. Scott Brown, collaborating with tipster Assemble Debug, revealed that Google is testing a new feature dubbed Hide face from memories. It was reportedly spotted following an APK teardown of the Google Photos for Android app.

Option to Hide Faces in Google Photos
Photo Credit: Android Authority/C. Scott Brown

As the name suggests, the feature is speculated to allow users to select certain faces and then hide images and videos which feature them from the Memories tab. Alternatively, they may choose to hide the faces from their entire photo library on their Android smartphones. While this functionality was already present in the previous versions of Google Photos, the reported under-development feature could make the process more streamlined.

The report suggests users may be able to hide people from their memories tab by navigating to any photo and then swiping up to reveal its metadata. Next, they may tap on the three-dot menu which reportedly appears alongside the face in the People section. Then, simply select the Hide face from memories option. Users can choose to either see that particular face less frequently or hide it entirely from their image gallery.

The report further suggests that there is no information regarding the timeline of its rollout. Features discovered during APK teardowns are usually only for testing purposes and it may take some time for the company to roll them out to the public version of the Google Photos app for Android smartphones. There is also a possibility that these features may just be experimental and will not be brought to the app at all.