Popular feature disappears from Android version of a key Google app
This useful feature, MIA from a core Google app, was either the victim of a bug, or was mistakenly removed.
Google Photos app for Android loses feature | Image by PhoneArena
We usually are quick to tell you when Google, on purpose, has added or removed a feature from an app. But over on Reddit, some Google Photos users are complaining about a feature that has gone missing from the app accidentally. The feature MIA (missing in action) is the one called drag to select, which allows you to select multiple photos in a heartbeat by dragging your finger across the screen.
This is what drag to select does on Google Photos, and how it works
No, drag to select has nothing to do with RuPaul's Drag Race. The user long-presses on the first photo he wants to select, and that enables multi-select. Once that happens, the user drags their finger to select all the photos he wants.
The core Google app I use the most is...
While the user can still enable multi-select with that first long-press, instead of selecting photos by dragging a finger over the screen, all that happens is that the screen scrolls up and down. This leaves the user having to individually select each photo they want to select.
Android app on a Pixel 9a - a couple of days ago, drag to multi-select stopped working suddenly. The same action (tap and hold on one photo, drag up/down) now just selects one photo and then scrolls up/down. It does enable the multi-select (the checkboxes appear in the corner of all photos) but the drag doesn't work & I have to tap each photo individually.
fjclaw, Reddit subscriber and Google Photos user
The removal of the feature seems like an accident on Google's part
Considering that drag to select still works on a tablet, we are left to conclude that the removal of the feature in the Google Photos app was not done on purpose. By the way, it's not just Pixel phones that have lost drag to select as complaints came pouring into Reddit from owners of other phones such as the OnePlus 12 and a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Drag to select still works on my Pixel 6 Pro running Android 17 QPR1 Beta 8. | Image by PhoneArena
Pixel models that were mentioned by Reddit users as missing drag to select include:
One Redditor said that the feature has gone from his Android phones, but remains on the Google Photos app he had downloaded on his iPad. I checked my own phones and found the feature intact on both my Pixel 6 Pro running Android 17 QPR1 Beta 7 and my iPhone 15 Pro Max with iOS 27 developer beta 4 installed.
How to install Google Photos on your Android and iOS-powered handsets
If you don't have the Google Photos app on your Android phone, you can download it from the Play Store by tapping on this link. Those iPhone users who want the Google Photos app on their iOS-powered devices can install the app from the App Store by clicking on this link.
Hopefully Google recognizes the mistake and brings back drag to select for the Google Photos app really soon.
Interested in Google's core apps? Check out these articles:
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- Google Maps bug keeps data from drivers
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