Face Detection in Google Photos App Now Recognizes Cats and Dogs by Name - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Face Detection in Google Photos App Now Recognizes Cats and Dogs by Name

by

google photos e1508230156776Google updated its Photos app on Monday with a new facial recognition feature that lets users organize pictures of their family pets more easily.

Since it was launched, Google Photos has employed facial recognition to identify humans and help users sort their snaps by friend or family member, similar to how Faces works in Apple Photos.

The latest version of Google's own photos app builds on its face detection feature by recognizing cats and dogs by name, so users no longer need to type in "cat" or "dog" into the search field to bring up the relevant pictures.

Going forward, simply labeling a photo of a furry friend will cause any other photos of the cat or dog to be grouped under that name, just like they do for people.

In addition to the pet grouping feature, Google says users can also now "search by breed to see photos of your Poodle or Maine Coon", or even search using a single cat or dog emoji.

The new pet detection naturally feeds into the app's automated movie generator, found in the Assistant view, and users can create their own short films by tapping on the new photo group of their pet, selecting their favorite pictures, and tapping the "+" symbol.

Google has also included six "pet-inspired songs" to choose from in the movie editor to be twinned with four-legged family collections.

Google Photos is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

SmugMaverick Avatar
110 months ago
People will think this is silly, but I really want this feature to come to photos on the iphone.
LOL

Apple don't give a crap about AI, they're all about animoji as software innovation.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chupa Chupa Avatar
110 months ago
Oh great. Now parents everywhere will be busted when Rover dies and they opt to surreptitiously swap him out to avoid giving little Sally the bad news.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
110 months ago
This must be that ‘innovation’ we’re so badly missing with our Apple devices. Call me back when google has a product that can rival a Mac.
Sarcasm noted. You do realize this is a software feature of Google Photos. So at best, your snarky comment would be better suited if you compared it to Apple's Photos app.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
110 months ago
I don't want strangers to know what I look like.
Hope you don't have a Facebook account then!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
christarp Avatar
110 months ago
People will think this is silly, but I really want this feature to come to photos on the iphone.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
110 months ago
Yes, and Google's customers are the products that get nailed. :rolleyes:
Why do (some) Apple users think they aren't the product? Perhaps because Apple isn't AS successful with their ad network, etc?

I mean - Google pays Apple a hefty sum to be the search engine on iPhones which most people use.

Apple and Google have pretty much the same privacy policies and opt outs.

If you are an Apple user and you think you are not ALSO a product, then you're burying your head in the sand.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...