OK, I know what you’re thinking—the last thing we need is another messaging service from Google. But this one might actually be good.
Instead of a whole new app, Google is building its new messaging service right into the Photos app. It’s basically Google Photos DM, as it only works if the person you’re sending a pic to has the Google Photos app installed, like Twitter’s or Instagram’s DM. Then when you share a message via Photos, you’ll be starting a conversation just like if you sent a MMS through Android Messages.
If the recipient doesn’t have messages, sharing will work like before—creating a dedicated album and then sharing that via a Google Photos link. But the new service definitely seems designed to keep people inside the app, despite Google’s claim that “this feature isn’t designed to replace the chat apps you already use.” As described, users can “like photos or comment in the conversation, and you can easily save these photos or videos to your own gallery.”
