I’ve been waiting years for Google Photos to get this one basic feature

What you need to know

Google Photos finally adds video playback speed control.
You can now watch videos from 0.5x to 2x directly inside the app.
It’s rolling out now on Android, but availability is gradual and iOS is still waiting.

Google Photos has been the main gallery app for many people for years, but it always missed one simple feature: you couldn’t change video playback speed. If you wanted to quickly get through a long recital or slow down a sports highlight, you were stuck at normal speed. That’s finally changing.

Android Central’s Take

This is a standard feature in most media apps, so it’s surprising it took this long to arrive in Google Photos.

Google is adding a video playback speed control to Google Photos on Android. Now you can speed up or slow down videos right in the app.

There are several speed options, usually from 0.5x for slower playback up to 2x for faster viewing, according to Google Photos’ support page.

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The new speed control appears when you play a video, so you can use it quickly without searching through menus.

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(Image credit: Android Central)(Image credit: Android Central)

Why this took so long

Google Photos has grown beyond just being a gallery app. Over time, it’s become a full media hub with editing tools, AI features, and cloud syncing.

Android Central’s Take

This is one of those updates that makes life easier, and I’ll use it every day. Skimming long clips at 2x speed or slowing down to catch details just makes sense now. Still, it’s surprising Google took so long to add such a basic feature that’s been in other media players for years. Better late than never.

However, video playback features have always lagged behind. Apps like YouTube, which is also owned by Google, have offered playback speed controls for years, but Google Photos focused more on storage and simple editing.

As more people use Google Photos to store long videos like…

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