Google's Snapseed image editing app finally gets an update but there's no AI tools — is its time coming to an end?
Google may snap soon
Google has released a new update for Snapseed, one of the best photo editing apps you can use on either iOS or Android. However, the update doesn't offer users much by way of tangible new features and weirdly still lacks any kind of AI features rival apps offer.
The news about the update, which was rolled out last week, was picked up by 9to5Google, which noted the lack of meaningful AI investment — surely a rarity in Google's portfolio at this point.
Snapseed has seen a fair few updates since its acquisition back in 2012. Google has worked to introduce full redesigns and even a dark mode to help keep the app relevant. However, while Snapseed has a nice UI that makes editing as simple as just swiping up and down, it is still lacking compared to mainstream apps like Google Photos which has implemented several AI features.
Google Photos has plenty to offer users, especially with the addition of features like Magic Editor. We recently heard that Google Photos has also introduced a new feature design to help maintain your cloud storage by lowering the quality of backed-up photos, meaning they take up less space. Google Photos has also announced a new feature that allows you to select your favorite contacts, making it easier to send full-quality images to them.
While Google Photos and others do offer a lot to users, perhaps Google is keeping Snapseed intentionally simple? While its doesn't have all the bells and whistles of other apps, it makes editing a human process and the UI is particularly easy to understand. But we also can't help but wonder if this intentionally meagre update is a sign the app is coming to the end of its life.
Of course, if neither of Google's offerings interest you then we have a full list of the best Google Photos alternatives that might help you pick your next editing app.
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Josh is a staff writer for Tom's Guide and is based in the UK. He has worked for several publications but now works primarily on mobile phones. Outside of phones, he has a passion for video games, novels, and Warhammer.