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| The Google Photos app for Android is officially getting a function for changing playback speed. |
Google Photos users, get ready to say goodbye to a longtime frustration. After years of community requests, Google is finally rolling out native video playback speed controls for its Android app.
While the company has also introduced a new one-tap AI Enhance tool for photos, it's the video speed feature that has many users breathing a sigh of relief. This highly-requested functionality finally brings Google Photos in line with other major video players.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new update, how to use it, and what other changes users are still hoping for.
Five Speeds to Choose From
The new feature, confirmed by Google in a community announcement, allows Android users to adjust the playback speed of any video directly within the Photos app without needing to export it elsewhere. As described in the announcement, it's a long-awaited answer to one of the community's "top wishes".
Users can choose from five different speeds: 0.25x, 0.5x, 1x (normal speed), 1.5x, and 2x.
Pro-tip: This is perfect for quickly skimming through long clips at 1.5x or 2x, or for slowing down footage to 0.5x or 0.25x to catch details you might have missed.
How to change playback speed on Android:
Open any video in the Google Photos app.
Tap the three-dot menu in the upper right corner.
Select the new "Playback speed" option.
Choose your desired speed and tap the checkmark to confirm.
The rollout has begun, though it may not be available to everyone immediately. If you don't see the option yet, try updating the Google Photos app via the Play Store.
The Details: Rollout and Availability
In its official announcement, Google states the feature is available for all Android users globally, though the rollout is occurring in stages. The update brings a long-requested quality-of-life improvement that many users have been wanting for years, providing the kind of flexibility previously only available through third-party apps or video editors.
However, the company has not yet confirmed if or when the playback speed controls will arrive on iOS or the web version of Google Photos.
Not Just Video: The New 'AI Enhance' Button
Alongside the video speed controls, Google is also rolling out a new "AI Enhance" button for photos. Previously a perk for recent Pixel owners, the one-tap tool is now available to Android users worldwide. It acts as a "magic wand," analyzing an image and automatically adjusting lighting, contrast, and color balance. Google has confirmed that this tool does not use generative AI to alter reality, focusing instead on balancing light and color.
Official Confirmation and What Users Still Want
Google has officially confirmed the rollout in a community announcement, describing the feature itself as one of the community's "top wishes." You can read the full details on Google's support page here: Change video playback speed on Android.
However, judging by community feedback, Google Photos could still benefit from a few other changes. On Reddit, users generally say they want fewer AI features and a clearer overall presentation of the media library. A shuffle function for albums is also mentioned several times so that memories do not always appear in the same order.
The Community Wishlist: What's Next for Google Photos?
While the addition of playback speed controls is a significant win for users, the community's wishlist for Google Photos remains long. Based on feedback across Reddit and other forums, here are the top requests users are still hoping for:
1. Fewer AI Features, More Control
There's a growing sentiment among power users that Google has become overly obsessed with AI features, often at the expense of core functionality. A Reddit post with over 1,600 upvotes called the AI-powered "Ask Photos" search feature "the worst feature ever," citing inaccurate search results. One frustrated user explained they searched for "kookaburra" and got no results, while asking for "birds" returned just six photos from a collection of over 400 bird images.
Another Reddit thread, which you can read here: New Google Photos UI is Trash, highlights user frustration with the app's direction.
The core issue is that the AI often returns a small, curated set of images rather than comprehensive results, which is the opposite of what many users want when searching their photo libraries.
2. A Clearer, Less Cluttered Interface
Many users feel the app's interface has become a "cluttered mess of pill-shaped badges". Long-time users complain that basic editing tools like cropping and light adjustments are now buried under multiple layers of menus, making simple tasks unnecessarily complex.
There's a strong desire for a return to a simpler, more organized media library. Google seems to have taken note, as reports indicate the company is testing a new interface that reverses some controversial changes, moving key tools like Crop and Filters back to the bottom carousel for quicker access.
3. A Shuffle Function for Albums
A shuffle or randomize function for slideshows and albums has been a long-standing feature request. As noted in a Google Support thread from as early as 2019, there is no native way to randomize the order of photos in a slideshow. Users want this feature so that memories don't always appear in the same order, bringing a sense of discovery back to revisiting old photos. For now, the only workaround is to manually rearrange images in a temporary album, a far-from-ideal solution.
The Bottom Line
Google has given users a genuinely useful convenience feature with video playback speed controls. It solves a basic, long-standing problem and brings the Android app closer to feature parity with other media players. However, it's clear that the community's wishlist extends far beyond this single update. As Google continues to push AI-driven features, the challenge will be balancing innovation with the core, reliable functionality that made Google Photos a favorite in the first place.
For now, Android users can enjoy their newly flexible video playback. For everyone else, we wait and see if—and when—these controls make their way to iOS and the web.