As has become a habit, the launch of a new generation of Pixel phones has been accompanied by a number of new “software” features under its belt. While Android 15 didn’t come with the new Pixel 9, Google did show off a number of very interesting features, particularly focused on the use of generative AI and Gemini.
The good news is that you don’t need to change your mobile phone to be able to use these functions; As happened in previous generations, Google is working so that older models of the Pixel range can also use them, although some will remain exclusive to the most recent models. This is what they have discovered in Android Authoritywhere they were able to analyze the code of the latest version of the Google Photos application.
In the Google Photos app there are already references to the new features announced by Google and to the mobile phones that will be compatible in addition to the Pixel 9. Specifically, These are the “Auto Frame” and “Reimagine” functions.which were presented with the new models and will also be available to all users soon.
Auto Frame is a new feature in Google Photos that can frame our photos automatically; The application will analyze the subject that appears in the image in relation to the environment and will be able to crop the photo so that it appears centered. In this way, we can say goodbye to photos that did not turn out completely perfect.
For its part, Reimagine is a new function that uses AI to modify the photographs we have already taken with new elements and change existing ones. We could say that it is the evolution of the Magic Editor that was already available in Google Photos; The limitation of the editor is that it can only move, delete and modify the objects present in the image, while Reimagine is able to add new objects and change the photo further.
For example, by simply indicating it in a text box, our mobile phone is able to add a car on an empty road or change a cloudy sky to a sunnier one. The first users who were able to use Reimagine were surprised by the potential it has.
The Google Photos app has three different configurations, depending on the type of mobile it runs on: Depending on the configuration, these functions will be available or not. The basic configuration is that of all Android devices and is used for non-Pixel phones; There is also a configuration for Pixel phones released between 2021 and 2023, that is, from the Pixel 6. Finally, there is a configuration for the latest phones, the Pixel 9.
This leak reveals how Google operates and how it wants to support its mobile phones. Even though the priority is on the latest mobile phones launched by the company, Previous models are also prepared to receive some functions, while mobile phones of other brands also receive new features, but not with the same priority. In the Google Photos app, there are references to Auto Frame and Reimagine in the settings of the Pixel 9 and older Pixels, but not yet in the version for the rest of Android phones.