Google Photos can finally remember how much you don’t want to use Ask Photos

Source: Android Authority

TL;DR

• A new toggle in Google Photos lets users switch between standard search and Ask Photos.
• The toggle was spotted in development in January.
• It began rolling out today.

Google is giving users a toggle to choose between the Gemini‑powered Ask Photos and classic search in Google Photos. The change was first seen earlier this year in a teardown article, and now Google has confirmed that the toggle is being rolled out.

Google Photos chief Shimrit Ben‑Yair tweeted that the toggle, appearing in the upper‑left corner of the search results interface, will let users “choose between fast classic search and intelligent Ask Photos results.”

Ask Photos uses Gemini to handle more complex, natural‑language queries inside Google Photos. Users can ask questions their photo library could answer (e.g., “What’s my license plate number?”) or search for very specific images (Ben‑Yair’s tweet shows a search for “Emma’s first bike ride”).

The new toggle gives users control over the type of results they see. While Ask Photos offers more flexible, AI‑powered results, it can be slower on large libraries. The ability to switch back to the quicker classic search is a useful improvement for those who don’t need the full AI capabilities.

Ben‑Yair noted that Google is “starting to roll out” the change as of this afternoon. The exact timing on individual devices may vary, but the toggle could appear at any time.