In order not to alienate the European Commission, Google Photos restricts some of its features in Europe. Here’s how to open them.
Presented at the last Google I/O, Google Photos is a terrific practical application when it comes to it. store and organize your photos. You can even store them for free and unlimited with a slight compression. Unfortunately, some of its functions are blocked in Europe to comply with the legislation, they are based on: face recognition. Fortunately, it is possible to unlock them with a relatively simple little manipulation. We’ll explain how to do it.
- Don’t miss: Our Google Photos app test
1. Install a VPN app on your smartphone
In order to use all the features of Google Photos in Europe, you must convince the application that you are connected from the USA. To do this, use a VPN such as: Tunnel Bear You can find it for free on the Play Store by clicking the image below. The app is free but requires an account creation. Once this is done you will have 500MB of connection but rest assured you will need much less for what you are going to do today.
2. Prepare the application
Before you can unlock the “prohibited” features of Google’s photo app, you must: clear app data. Rest assured, it’s the basic manipulation that will only delete your settings and not your images or videos. To do this, all you need to do is:
- go to menu Settings > Your smartphone’s apps
- Scroll down to Google Photos
- click button “Delete data”
- Close the application completely in the “Multitasking” menu. It is important to be able to start from scratch.
3. Connect using VPN
Now it’s time for the app to think you are Connected from USA. It’s simple and still cheaper than a flight from Paris to New York! To do this, all you need to do is:
- Create an account by following the on-screen instructions
- Go to your mailbox and click on the activation link you found in the confirmation email.
- click key at the top of the screen, then OK
- choose USA
- After a few seconds, a notification informs you that you are connected from the USA.
4. Enable Features
Now that the feature is available, you will need to enable it. To do this, all you need to do is:
- Launch Google Photos
- Click the button in the top left to open the menu
- Select the “Settings” option
- Check the “Group similar faces” box
Note that after enabling the option, it will sometimes take some time to apply. It’s a bit long, especially since the app will resync all the photos on your device as if you were using it for the first time. You’ll also need to reconfigure it, but rest assured, it really only takes two minutes.
When the option is fully enabled, you will see your friends’ photos grouped into individual folders when you tap them, just like places and objects. “Search” button It will also be able to take advantage of the latest features offered by the latest update of Google Photos, especially the ability to hide the faces of certain people. For example, your ex-girlfriends!
Finally, the icing on the cake is also effective on your other devices, such as your tablet, as well as the desktop version, after this manipulation has been performed on your Android smartphone. This is not a beautiful life!
