Android 13 introduced a new way of sharing photos and videos with apps called the Photo Picker. This feature allows users to select specific media files from their local library without giving apps full access to their entire storage. This enhances the privacy and security of users, as they can control what data they share with each app.
However, until now, the Photo Picker only worked with media files stored on the device. Users who relied on cloud services like Google Photos to backup and sync their media files were out of luck. They had to either download the files they wanted to share or use the app-specific picker, which defeats the purpose of the Photo Picker.
But that is about to change, as Google Photos has recently added support for the Photo Picker, allowing users to access their cloud media files from any app that uses the Photo Picker. This means users can now share their photos and videos from Google Photos with apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, and more without compromising their privacy or storage space.
To enable this feature, users need to update their Google Photos app to the latest version and activate a hidden flag in the app settings. This will open a new “Cloud Media App” page where users can turn on Google Photos. Then, they need to go to the Photos app and grant Photo Picker permission to access their Google Photos library. Once this is done, users can see their cloud media files in the Photo Picker, along with their local media files.
This feature was first announced at Google I/O 2022 and has been gradually rolling out to Google’s own apps, such as Google Keep, Google Chat, and Google Messages. However, other apps need to implement the Photo Picker API to make use of this feature, and so far, adoption has been slow. Hopefully, with Google Photos joining the party, more app developers will be motivated to update their apps to support the Photo Picker and give users more choice and control over their media sharing.
This feature also opens the door for other cloud media providers, such as Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, and Flickr, to integrate with the Photo Picker and offer their users a similar experience. This would create a truly universal and privacy-respecting media sharing platform on Android where users can access their media files from any source and share them with any app without giving up their data or storage.
However, Photo Picker is not without its flaws. Some users have reported issues with the feature, such as app-created albums not showing up in the “Albums” tab or cloud media not appearing in the new Android 14 permission dialog for partial access. These are minor glitches that can be fixed with future updates, but they do affect the usability and reliability of the feature.
Nevertheless, the Photo Picker is a major improvement over the previous media sharing methods on Android, and Google Photos’ support for it is a welcome addition. Users who value their privacy and convenience will appreciate this feature, and hopefully, more apps and cloud services will join the party soon.