9 fun questions to try asking Google Photos

Feb 10, 2026

The Ask button in Google Photos is available on iOS and Android to eligible users in the U.S. Here are a few ways you can use it, as well as other things to do with Ask Photos.

Molly McHugh-Johnson

Contributor, The Keyword

A collage of outdoor images, a blue icon that say "Ask Photos," and examples of Ask Photos prompts.

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Ask Photos in Google Photos is a powerful tool that uses Gemini models to search through your massive photo gallery to find exactly what you’re looking for. While Ask Photos helps you find photos and information in your library, the new Ask button helps you do much more: When viewing your image, you can start a conversation and get answers about its content, discover related moments or simply describe the edits you want and watch the changes appear.

Ask Photos is available in a number of countries and languages, and the Ask button is now available to eligible users on Android and iOS in the U.S. — here are nine ways you can use both Ask Photos and the Ask button to do even more with your images.

1. Learn more about a place

I take a lot of photos while I’m traveling, and I admittedly don’t always know the details behind what I'm photographing. While looking at hiking photos from my trip, I used Ask Photos to find my landscape images from Slovenia. I realized I couldn’t remember the names of many of the areas or trails I’d taken them from — but Google Photos found them for me in a few seconds.

A landscape photo of a mountain and lake found by Ask Photos. On the screen to the left, a text box shows the question what hiking trail is this? On the right, a text box shows Ask Photos answer which is this breathtaking view is from the area of Sleme nad Tamarjem and Slemenova spica, located within the Naravni reservat Mala Piscnica in Slovenia.

2. Let your photos start the conversation

When I’m viewing a photo and click the Ask button, Google Photos will automatically surface a short explanation of what’s in the photo — often answering my question before I even type it out. In these instances, I like to then follow up to the response by clicking the “Tell me more” chip and seeing what else I can learn about the image’s subject, a photo’s composition or details about when or how I took it.

Two screens show a photo of giant lily pads. The left screen has a text box showing a description of them. There is a chip beneath this description that reads tell me more. The right screen has a longer description of them, created by selecting the tell me more chip.

3. Ask for suggestions based on your photos

My photos are a great representation of the things I like to do, places I like to go, things I like to eat — you get the idea. I can use Ask Photos’ understanding of my gallery to ask for suggestions on what else I might enjoy based on what it finds. For example, I asked Photos to find my hiking photos with my husband and then followed up with “Based on these photos, what are some other trails we would enjoy?”

Two hiking photos of a couple. One is in a field of flowers and the other on a slab of ice. The question in the text box asks what other trails they would enjoy. Ask Photos provides a list of options with the response based on your hiking photos, you seem to enjoy trails with diverse landscapes, including snow mountains, forests and stunning vistas. Then it includes a list of trail options.

4. Find similar photos

Sometimes I just want to find my photos that capture a feeling or look similar to another image. I recently used Ask Photos to “find my photos that feel like spring,” and instantly found photos I’d taken of cherry blossoms, tulip fields, creeks, patios and parks. You could alternatively find a photo you like and Ask Photos “find more photos like this” (or click the proactive prompt that reads “related photos”) and it will surface similar images and even offer a short summary of them.

Three phone screens are shown. On the left, there's a screenshot showing the question find my photos that feel like spring. A variety of floral photos are beneath this, along with an explanation of the images. In the center, there's A photo of a dog running on a beach with an explanation that says Moose looks so joyful, completely airborne on that beautiful Hood River beach! Want me to find more photos of them having fun? Beneath this in the question box is the question find more photos like this. On the right, there's a selection of photos of the same dog with the response in the text box that reads here are more photos of Moose having a blast running and playing on the beach in Hood River.

5. Ask follow-up questions

You don’t just have to stop with one question, either. After asking such a broad question that surfaced photos from the past few years, I followed up with another question to narrow things down a bit — which of these pictures were taken in a specific area? Just like that, a new batch of photos. And why not — how about another question? I asked what kinds of flowers were in the photos, and learned that the yellow ones are likely Balsamroot and the purple ones Lupine.

On the left, a phone screen shows a selection of photos from a spring hike showing wildflowers with the question can you narrow this down to photos taken in the Columbia river gorge. On the right, there are more photos showing wildflower hikes and a question at the top of the screen from the user that says what flowers are these. Below there is an explanation from Ask Photos that reads the vibrant yellow flowers are likely Balsamroot and the purple ones are likely Lupine.

6. Edit photos just by asking

One handy feature I’ve noticed is the “Help me edit” option. When I hit the Ask button, there’s an auto-populated “Help me edit” prompt I can select or I can just start typing the kinds of edits I want to see in the text box. When I select the prompt, Google Photos will analyze the image and make editing suggestions or I can type the edit I want directly into the prompt box. I can either choose one of the suggestions or keep writing in the prompt box if there’s something else I want to try.

There are four screens. Screen 1 shows a woman standing next to a rock wall looking at the ocean while wearing sunglasses. A text box reads can you remove my sunglasses? The result, the same photo but with the sunglasses removed, is shown to its right in the second screen. The third screen shows a photo of a dog walking down stairs. The text box reads give me two options one that enhances the quality of the image and a second that does that while also changing the background to a park. The final screen shows the same images as screen 3, but instead the text box response from Ask Photos reads I’ve provided two options for you: one that enhances the image and another that enhances it and changes the background to the box. Above the text box are small tiles with the other photo options in them.

7. Ask for descriptions

Ask Photos is also great at analyzing my photos and writing up descriptions for me. This is particularly useful if I’m reselling something online; I can simply use Ask Photos to get a detailed summary of the item in question.

A photo of a shelf with a text box that shows the response to a question about describing the item. The response reads this charming dark reddish-brown (looks like a rich cherry or mahogany finish!) bookshelf is ready for a new home. It features four sturdy shelves, perfect for displaying your favorite books, plants, or decorative items.

8. Look up a dish you loved

I love to take a photo of a beautiful meal I’ve prepared or eaten at a restaurant…but I don’t often take a photo of the process or the item on a menu. Which means these photos are perfectly palatable to share on social media, but not very helpful if I want to recreate something or even just learn what’s in it. The Ask button is really good at identifying a dish and telling me more about its ingredients.

On the left, there's a photo of a dark pasta dish with red circular items in it. A text box describes the dish as crni rizot, or black risotto. A question below this description asks what all is likely in it. The right shows the same photo but with a longer text description of the dish, that begins: beyond the squid ink that gives it its signature color, crni rizot typically features fresh squid or cuttlefish, as the main protein.

9. Ask it to transcribe text

Speaking of recipes: Do you ever find yourself screenshotting meal ideas and then trying to reference that one image for everything from the grocery list to prep? Or maybe even take a photo of an actual handwritten recipe you want to try? Either way, you can use Ask Photos to transcribe any image of text for you.

A photo of a handwritten recipe. Beneath this, Ask Photos answers a question about transcription, listing the ingredients for molasses ginger cookies.

You can also ask it to turn that transcription into a grocery list or step-by-step instructions — and then you can copy it to your notes or send via text message and have someone else do all the shopping and cooking if you’d prefer.

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