The Google Photos app for Android is due for a major update set to bring some important improvements, particularly in terms of storage.
The update will bump the app from the current version 1.20, now available in the Play Store, to version 1.21. While the new version will bring a slew of improvements to smoothen the overall experience, one change stands out from afar.
The Google Photos Android app will soon offer free unlimited photo and video storage at the original resolution, even for 4K files, but with one caveat. This perk will only be available to Nexus device owners.
The news comes from the good folks over at Android Police, who tore down the Google Photos 1.21 APK and found some intriguing clues regarding what the upcoming update will bring to the table.
So far, Google Photos has offered free unlimited storage but only for images up to 16 megapixels and videos up to 1080p. This means that 4K files are off limits with the current version if you want unlimited storage space.
Luckily for Nexus device owners, this is about to change with the upcoming version, as it will no longer impose any restrictions to offer unlimited storage for free. Storing 4K files at their original quality in the cloud is a great addition to the Google Photos app, as it allows you to save significant local storage space.
Future Nexus models are bound to rock high-end cameras with 4K video recording capabilities, so this Google Photos app feature will surely come in handy.
The APK teardown further reveals that Google Photos 1.21 for Android will also bring a number of sorting modes to make it easier to organize your photos. Moreover, images will get additional editing options for Exposure and Contrast.
It remains unclear at this point just when the new version 1.21 of Google Photos for Android will go live in Google Play, as it doesn't seem to be available in any region for now. Nevertheless, Google's APK will do the trick if you don't mind a manual download.
Otherwise, we'll just have to wait until Google starts rolling out the latest version of Google Photos via Google Play. With the APK already out, it should not take more than a few days for the OTA rollout to commence.
If you decide to perform a manual installation via the APK and you have a Nexus device, drop by our comment section below and tell us what you think of the new update.
