Google Photos is adding a new Documents hub in the search tab that will make it much easier to find uploaded documents. The new feature is apparently part of a server-side update, so it should reach everyone relatively soon.

Currently, there are three sections when you click on the search tab in Google Photos: People & Pets, Places, and Things. Documents will be the fourth section, and provide users will quick access to things like screenshots, posters, paper documents, signs, and more. According to Android Police, which got its hands on the feature, the Documents section will even display documents that contain handwriting, text messaging, bulletin boards, display boards, and business cards.

Images: Android Police

“For what it's worth, there are still a lot of false positives among these,” Android Police said. “While you can already search by entering keywords, this new section neatly organizes your images and saves the effort of typing.”

The addition of a Documents section should be convenient for anyone who finds themselves regularly taking photos of important documents. If you’re too lazy to organize the images you take of your documents, the powerful search found in Google Photos will make finding the right one super easy. I can’t say I’ve thought to use Google Photos to store images of documents, but it’s nice to know I won’t have any trouble finding them if I did.

The search functionality in Google Photos is what elevates the cloud storage service above competitors. And in addition to being able to search for documents, it could get even better with a new update that will allow users to combine multiple search filters. With improved search capabilities, users will be able to find the exact photo of their dog wearing blue sunglasses at Lake Tahoe.

Meanwhile, Google Photos also recently rolled out a new video editor UI, and it has also added Lens features on desktop with OCR for images.

Google Photos Developer: Google LLC
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