[Update: Face Tagging Rolling Out] Google Photos 4.32 tests Manual Face Tagging and account switching gesture

Update (11/29/19 @ 1:40 PM ET): Google Photos manual face tagging feature is rolling out now.

Earlier this year in July, Google Photos product lead, David Lieb, revealed a couple of upcoming features for the app. Among these was the ability to add manual face tags, but Lieb didn’t confirm when the feature would be released. We recently discovered strings of code hinting towards manual face tagging in a teardown of Google Photos v4.30. And with the latest update, the feature can now be manually triggered within the app.

Our Editor-in-Chief Mishaal Rahman has successfully managed to activate manual face tagging in version 4.32 of Google Photos and we now have a clear look at the functionality it offers. As seen in the screenshots below, the feature will appear in the information section underneath photos in which the app has identified faces but failed to tag them automatically. Tapping on it will redirect you to a new edit window in which you’ll see all the faces that the app has identified.

To tag a new person, you just need to tap on their face in the ‘Available to add’ section and select the person from a list in the following window. In case the person isn’t already in your Google Photos library, you’ll also get the option to add them to your library. The app will then automatically tag other photos of the person and add them to a group. In case you make a mistake, the app will also give you the option to remove the tag.

Along with the manual face tagging feature, v4.32 of Google Photos also tests the new account switcher UI that was previously discovered by renowned reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong. The feature works exactly like the account switcher UI found on Gmail or Google Drive and allows you to swipe down on your profile picture in the top right corner to switch accounts.

Tapping on your profile picture opens up a new pop-up menu in which you’ll be able to switch accounts, manage your Google Account, and check the status of the Google Photos backup. It’s worth noting that these features aren’t live in the latest update and we currently have no information on their release timeline.

Update: Face Tagging Rolling Out

A much-requested feature is finally rolling out to Google Photos. You can finally manually tag people’s faces in photos. Google is usually pretty good at doing this automatically, but you may prefer to do it yourself or clean up some of the photos that Google misses.

Unfortunately, though, it still relies on Google recognizing a face is in the photo for you to tag. You can add faces by tapping on the pencil icon in the “People” section under the photo. If there is no “People” section, Google has not detected faces. You can also use this feature to correct mistagged photos or remove unwanted tags.

Manual face tagging is appearing in Google Photos version 4.32.1, but be patient, as this seems to be a server-side update.

Source: Android Police