AndroidAppsGood and EVO

Confirmed: Google is phasing out the stock Android Gallery app in favor of Google+ Photos

Android Gallery iconEver since Google has started pooling practically all its resources into Google+, it’s clear that the search giant has truly bet the farm on its social network. Not only did other popular Google services like Reader get the ax so that more Googlers could work on Google+, but Google has tightly integrated YouTube comments into the service and completely replaced the stock messaging application in Android with Hangouts, which originated as a Google+ chat service.

Now, one more Android app seems to be getting cut, as the stock Android Gallery app is not present in the Google Play Edition Sony Z Ultra or LG G Pad 8.3. Instead, the only stock viewer that’s included is Photos, which is actually part of the Google+ app.

The writing was on the wall in the Android 4.4.1 update, when Photos became integrated with the stock Android camera, instead of Gallery. Still, this is a somewhat odd move, since Google bragged about a whole bunch of new editing features in the stock Gallery app with Android 4.4, which is only a few weeks old. Most likely, these new editing features will be gradually rolled into the Google+ Photos app, as well.

Personally, this won’t affect me too much since I’ve had Gallery disabled on my devices for a while. I’m using the Photos app for photo viewing, and Snapseed for photo editing. (You should be using Snapseed, too – trust me.) What do you think?

[Android Central]
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John F

John was the editor-in-chief at Pocketables. His articles generally focus on all things Google, including Chrome and Android, although his love of new gadgets and technology doesn't stop there. His current arsenal includes the Nexus 6 by Motorola, the 2013 Nexus 7 by ASUS, the Nexus 9 by HTC, the LG G Watch, and the Chromebook Pixel, among others.

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