Key Takeaways

  • Google Photos 2024 Recap is a new feature that highlights memorable moments from your year in a fun and cinematic way.
  • The Recap includes categories such as ‘All Stars’ and ‘Smiles’ to showcase people and scenery.
  • You can easily find and share your 2024 Recap with the Face Groups setting enabled, and US users can use Gemini to create special moments.



Google Photos just introduced a new way to relive the past year of your life. The 2024 Recap is a brand-new feature that highlights memorable photos and moments from your year, complete with fun graphics, music, and cinematic effects. No surprise, there’s even a Gemini integration.

Close up of phone corner showing google photos app over a collage

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If you’ve seen Spotify Wrapped then you have a good idea of what this is. All the big consumer tech companies are showing you what you listened to and watched throughout the year, but the Google Photos recap may actually be meaningful. This collection of memories and insights from your personal life will help you rediscover all those moments that made the year special.




All the features in the new 2024 Recap

You can find your own personal 2024 Recap at the top of the Google Photos app on the main Photos tab. Don’t fret if it’s not there yet, the feature is rolling out over the next few days.

The recap is broken into several categories, such as ‘All Stars,’ which highlights the people who showed up the most in your photos, and ‘All the colors,’ consisting of your most scenic shots. There’s also ‘Smiles,’ showing who smiled the most, and ‘Memory,’ which is a recap of the overall vibe of your year.

Select users in the US can opt to receive personalized captions generated by Google Gemini, the company’s advanced AI. This will highlight the two biggest moments of your year, such as a wedding or a vacation.


Sharing the recap is easy, as well. You can share directly to social media and messaging apps by clicking on the share button.

The 2024 Recap is only available if you have the Face Groups setting enabled. To enable it, tap your profile pic on the top right, then
Photos settings
>
Preferences
>
Group similar faces

We spotted this coming back in September, but at the time we had few details about what to expect. The integration of insights based on your photo habits, such as your longest photo streak and the colors you photographed most, is a delightful surprise. This is a fresh perspective on yearly recaps, and matches the new YouTube Music recap that was just released for everyone.