Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google has a Gallery app (formerly Gallery Go) designed for offline photo viewing, which many users, even Pixel owners, are unaware of despite its billion-plus downloads and six-year existence.
- A trending Reddit thread revealed widespread surprise about the app’s existence, with users praising it as a simple alternative to Google Photos.
- The app has been under the radar due to a lack of promotion and updates from Google. It received minor improvements in January.
Google Photos isn’t just a feature-rich gallery app; it’s also a powerful editing tool, which explains why it’s among the most-used apps on Android devices. But did you know that Google also has another gallery app designed specifically for offline photo management? It’s essentially a lighter, offline-friendly version of Google Photos, and surprisingly, many Android users have never heard of it.
We assumed everyone was aware of Google’s lesser-known Gallery app. After all, it has received considerable coverage from various tech publications, including us. Back in 2023, my colleague Hadlee Simons even recommended it as a simple, offline solution for viewing photos. Despite all the coverage, it turns out many users, including many Pixel owners, still don’t know the app exists.
A Reddit thread, first noticed by DroidLife and currently trending on the Pixel subreddit, highlights just how under-the-radar the Gallery app remains. The app has over a billion downloads, yet the trending Reddit thread is filled with surprised Pixel users thanking a commenter for introducing them to it.
Did you know about the Google Gallery app?
1133 votes
“Oh my gosh, why did I not know about this? And you’re telling me I’ll automatically see all my photos and videos here? And I can use it like a normal gallery?” wrote the thread’s creator, who was searching for a Google Photos alternative.
“Bless you. This has been my biggest gripe with Google Photos. I tried third-party apps, but they were super sketchy, so I gave up,” added another user.
“Thanks for sharing — I didn’t know this app existed,” wrote yet another commenter, followed by more such surprise reactions.
So why the lack of awareness? Likely because Google doesn’t promote the Gallery app much. Originally launched in 2019 as Gallery Go, the app was intended for low-end devices with limited storage in markets where network connectivity isn’t great. Since then, the app hasn’t seen much marketing or feature expansion.
While Google hasn’t added any major functionality to the Gallery app in years, its most recent update came in January, focused on bug fixes and minor improvements. The app does offer basic AI-powered photo organization, but it’s a straightforward tool for viewing locally stored photos and videos. Nothing more.
For those sticking with Google Photos, there’s an easy way to access local media and differentiate between what’s on your device and what’s stored in the cloud. You can just head to the “Collections” tab and tap on “On this device” to view images and videos saved locally on your phone.
