Google Photos toggle lets you switch between classic search & Ask Photos - 9to5Google

What the report says

9to5Google reports that Google Photos has completed the rollout of a new toggle that lets users move between the app’s traditional search results and its AI-powered Ask Photos experience. The change, reported by Abner Li on July 20, 2026, was previously referenced by Google in March and is now described in a Google community post as a way to combine both search modes more smoothly.

According to the report, users who already have Ask Photos turned on will see a switch at the top of the results screen, with classic search on one side and Ask Photos on the other. In 9to5Google’s testing, the app could stay on classic search for multiple simple, one-word searches, but more complex requests — such as identifying a license plate — caused it to return to Ask Photos until the user changed the setting again.

The update also appears to affect people who have not opted into Ask Photos. Those users can continue using standard search, but may see a toggle prompting them to enable the AI feature. Selecting it directs them to Google’s onboarding and opt-in process. 9to5Google says the feature is appearing in Google Photos on both Android and iOS.

The change matters because it gives users more control over how they search large photo libraries while also providing Google a clearer path to introduce Ask Photos to more people. More broadly, it reflects Google’s ongoing effort to add Gemini-related AI features across consumer apps while preserving familiar tools for users who prefer conventional search.