Your yearly Google Photos recap is here and it’s finally worth sharing

It’s that time of year again when every app on your phone tries to define your last 12 months. Google Photos is no exception as it is rolling out its “Recap” starting this week, and honestly, it’s a lot more robust than previous years.You’re getting the standard stats—top people and total photo counts—but they’ve thrown in a new selfie counter for good measure. If you are in the U.S. and have Gemini features enabled, the AI will also try to identify your standout hobbies and highlights. But the real win here is the granular control. You can now hide specific dates, people, or pets and hit “regenerate” to clean up the timeline.

It also includes a few extra features, such as:

• CapCut Integration: A new button lets you export directly to CapCut with exclusive templates.
• Social Sharing: A dedicated carousel creates short videos and collages formatted for social apps.
• Direct Access: You can share directly to WhatsApp Status or find the recap pinned in your Collections tab all December.

For the longest time, photo recaps felt a bit stiff. If you look at the competition, Apple Photos does a great job of curating “Memories” with decent music integration via Apple Music, but sharing those outside the Apple ecosystem is often clunky. And, of course, everyone is chasing the ghost of Spotify Wrapped, which set the gold standard for shareability.

By partnering with CapCut—a massive player in the video editing space—Google is admitting that their stock slideshows aren’t enough for the TikTok and Reels generation. This move bridges the gap between a dusty photo library and a piece of content you actually want to post. It makes the Google Photos recap a creative tool rather than just a passive notification.

Here is my take: I usually watch these auto-generated recaps once, cringe at the stock music, and close the app. They rarely feel personal enough to share. This update feels like Google actually understands how people use the internet in 2025.
The ability to exclude an ex or a bad haircut from your recap and immediately regenerate it is a lifesaver. But the CapCut integration is the standout feature. Instead of locking you into Google’s “distinctive” artistic choices, they are handing you the keys to make something that fits your vibe. I might actually post my recap this year, which is something I haven’t said since… well, ever.