Google Photos Tests Auto-Printing Subscription Service

UPDATE 6/20: Droid Life reports that Google has ended this trial, and will no longer offer the service as of June 30.

Original Story:
Everyone with Google Photos uses it for cloud storage, but the platform also serves as a tool for printing photographs individually or in a self-curated album.

Now, the Mountain View-based company wants to try out an auto-printing subscription service.

9to5Google reports that, in the United States, select Google Photos users can sign up for a service that delivers 10 prints directly to your doorstep.

Yet they aren't tasked with actually choosing them every month.

Instead, Google Photos will ask what type of photos are preferred and then leverage some artificial intelligence to pick photos prior to shipping.

Edits can be made to the choices, but the entire point is to easily receive the best photos without any action required.

In its setup, the auto-printing service offers three types of themes.

Users decide between a mixture of people and animals, landscapes, or a little bit of everything.

Pricing is set at $7.99 per month for 4-by-6-inch prints.

All 10 photos get a matte finish, and they're on white cardstock that includes a 1/8-inch border.

Google ships out all prints in a cardboard envelope that ensures they're not damaged in transit.

Currently, it's unclear if Google will introduce additional sizes and styles under the trial program.

Google rolled out its Print Store a few years ago with limited options, and today it boasts an array of sizes and styles.

Google also partnered with CVS and Walmart to enable in-store pickup from thousands of retail stores across the nation.

So it only makes sense for Google Photos to gain a subscription-based feature.

It's all part of Google's larger strategy to monetize a platform that hosts more than 1 billion users worldwide.

Head over to Google Photos on the web, and eligible users will discover a notification banner at the top of the page inviting them to try this auto-printing service.

Google didn't share any official details, but a full announcement could come once the trial program ends and expands to all users.

UPDATE 6/20: Droid Life reports that Google has ended this trial, and will no longer offer the service as of June 30.

Original Story:
Everyone with Google Photos uses it for cloud storage, but the platform also serves as a tool for printing photographs individually or in a self-curated album.

Now, the Mountain View-based company wants to try out an auto-printing subscription service.

9to5Google reports that, in the United States, select Google Photos users can sign up for a service that delivers 10 prints directly to your doorstep.

Yet they aren't tasked with actually choosing them every month.

Instead, Google Photos will ask what type of photos are preferred and then leverage some artificial intelligence to pick photos prior to shipping.

Edits can be made to the choices, but the entire point is to easily receive the best photos without any action required.

In its setup, the auto-printing service offers three types of themes.

Users decide between a mixture of people and animals, landscapes, or a little bit of everything.

Pricing is set at $7.99 per month for 4-by-6-inch prints.

All 10 photos get a matte finish, and they're on white cardstock that includes a 1/8-inch border.

Google ships out all prints in a cardboard envelope that ensures they're not damaged in transit.

Currently, it's unclear if Google will introduce additional sizes and styles under the trial program.

Google rolled out its Print Store a few years ago with limited options, and today it boasts an array of sizes and styles.

Google also partnered with CVS and Walmart to enable in-store pickup from thousands of retail stores across the nation.

So it only makes sense for Google Photos to gain a subscription-based feature.

It's all part of Google's larger strategy to monetize a platform that hosts more than 1 billion users worldwide.

Head over to Google Photos on the web, and eligible users will discover a notification banner at the top of the page inviting them to try this auto-printing service.

Google didn't share any official details, but a full announcement could come once the trial program ends and expands to all users.