Until now, it is impossible to change the playback speed of a video in Google Photos on Android, while even the player YouTube had been proposing it for years. To speed up a long vacation clip or slow down a sporting action, you had to export the video to another app.
This era is finally coming to an end: Google currently activates a new “Playback speed” option directly in the video player of Google Photos on Android. “We are excited to announce that the ability to change the playback speed of your videos in Google Photos on Android is now available. This feature has been eagerly awaited by our community and we are happy to finally make it accessible,” explains the company. Let’s see how it works and who can already benefit from it.
Google Photos on Android: why was this reading speed so popular?
Google Photos became the default hub for photos and videos on Android, but its video player remained stuck at 1x, where YouTube has long allowed you to go from 0.25x to 2x. The community regularly pointed out this “basic” absence in the forums and comments on the stores.
The feature was first spotted by Android Authority in the APKs of Google Photos 7.58, before being confirmed by Google. The “Read Speed” option arrives via a server-side update, currently rolling out to millions of smartphones. On the program: reading possible at 0.25x, 0.5x, 1x, 1.5x and 2x, directly in the reader.
How to change video playback speed in Google Photos on Android?
Controlling the playback speed of videos in Google Photos is very simple to use. Simply:
- Open Google Photos on your Android smartphone
- Play the video you are interested in
- Press the three dots at the top right
- Choose “Reading speed”
- Select 0.25x, 0.5x, 1x, 1.5x or 2x
This setting is temporary: as soon as you exit the video or open another one, the speed returns to 1x. If you want to permanently modify a video, you must go through the integrated editor: open the video, press “Edit”, then “Speed” and choose between 0.25x, 0.5x, 2x and 4x. The result gives an impression of slow motion or time-lapse without real dedicated filming.
When is the new Google Photos reading speed coming to your smartphone?
As this is a server-side update, the option may appear without going through a fresh installation from the Play Store. Make sure you have a recent version, ideally Google Photos 7.58 or 7.64, then close and reopen the app, or even restart the phone if “Reading Speed” still does not appear.
The new feature is currently confirmed on Android only, but a port to iOS would be logical in the medium term. It arrives in the same wave as the “Enhance with AI” button to retouch photos in one click. With this video playback speed control, Google Photos finally gets closer to the experience expected by mobile users, without relying on third-party apps.