A recent APK teardown has revealed that Google could be planning to reverse a decision that limited which images Partner Share will send.
When Google's Partner Sharing feature debuted in 2017, it allowed Google Photos users to share their library images with selected contacts automatically. However, in November 2024, Google quietly updated Partner Sharing with a new limitation: only pictures and videos taken from their phone's camera could be shared. As such, an image shared with you, uploaded from an app or a screenshot taken on your device cannot be shared.
However, Android Authority and Assemble Debug recently found a new option hidden in the latest version of Google Photos. According to the report, there is a toggle in the settings that turns on an option to "include content from other Android apps." If activated, this would mean that users could easily share every image and video from their photo libraries with selected partners.
The option isn't publicly available yet, but it could appear in a future Google Photos update. At this point, there's no indication which update might include the feature, and Google's support page still lists that users can only share images taken from the camera. As such, we might be waiting for a while. It also appears that if the feature does arrive, the toggle will be turned off by default.
Google has been working to improve the overall user experience with Google Photos in recent months. For instance, a recent update made it easier for users to see who has interacted with shared albums. There are also indications that Google Gemini could soon narrate your Google Photos memories, and you'll have a lot more freedom in how often certain people will appear as well.
Hopefully, the update to partner sharing will come soon, but as with any APK, it might take a while. The idea is solid and will likely encourage people to try Partner Sharing on their phones.
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