Google Photos May Soon Show RAW Images Alongside Other Images on App’s Main Feed: Report

Google Photos could be getting a user interface update soon. The app, reportedly, may soon provide an integrated experience for RAW images. Enabling RAW+JPEG capture in the Camera app on both Pixel and Android phones currently creates an on-device "Raw" folder. By default, the “backup” option on this particular folder is turned off, even if “backup” for the main folder is turned on. Since they are not stored on the storage cloud, the RAW files do not appear on the main feed of the Google Photos app.

According to a 9to5Google report Google Photos may soon enable the RAW files of the RAW+JPEG images to appear on the main feed of the app. Google Photos version 6.20 discloses an upcoming alteration that will always present RAW images in the main feed, irrespective of the user's Backup state. This means the RAW file will be visible alongside every image even if Google Photos “backup” is turned off.

On the Google Photos app main feed, the JPEG photo and the RAW photo will appear side by side with this update. The report adds that Google Photos 6.20 is not yet widely available but it is expected to roll out soon.

Google Photos has received regular updates which add new features to the app. It was reported in December 2022 that Google Photos was testing a new "Search" button for its Android app, which will allow users to view photos and identify faces. The new button is likely to replace the existing Lens button in the Photos app. Google Lens was first released as a standalone app in 2017, but it was later transformed into an integrated service. More updates on the “Search” button are awaited.

In September, Google Photos got a revamped ‘Memories' feature with cleaner aesthetic and a smoother vertical scroll gesture added to switch between memories.