What you need to know
- Google Photos is finally adding control over video playback speed.
- Now you can watch videos from 0.5x to 2x directly inside the app.
- It’s now rolling out on Android, but availability is gradually increasing, and iOS is still waiting.
Google Photos has been the go-to gallery app for many people for years, but it’s always been missing one simple feature: you can’t change the playback speed of a video. If you want to speed through a long recital or slow down a sports moment, you’re stuck with normal speed. This is finally changing.
Android Central’s Take
It’s a standard feature in most media apps, so it’s surprising that it took this long to reach Google Photos.
Google adds video playback speed controls Google Photos on Android. Now you can speed up or slow down videos directly in the app.
According to Google Photos, there are usually several speed options, from 0.5x for slower playback to 2x for faster viewing. support page.
Article continues below
A new speed control appears when you play a video, so you can use it quickly without having to search through menus.
Image 1 of 2
Why did it take so long?
Google Photos has gone beyond just being a gallery app. Over time, it has evolved into a complete media hub with editing tools, AI features and cloud syncing.
Android Central’s Take
This is one of those updates that made life easier and I will be using it every day. It now makes sense to browse long clips at 2x speed or slow down to capture details. Still, it’s surprising that Google took this long to add such a basic feature that has been available in other media players for years. Better late than never.
However, video playback features have always lagged behind. It has offered programs like YouTube, which is owned by Google playback speed control for years, but Google Photos focused more on storage and simple editing.
As more people use Google Photos to save longer videos like events, vlogs, or lectures, the lack of speed control started to get old.
This feature is especially useful if you have a large video library, which is common for Google Photos users.
The feature is rolling out to Android users now, but like most Google updates, it’s coming gradually. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’re not alone.
This update is currently only available for Android. There’s no set timeline for iOS yet, but it’ll probably show up there.
