PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Google Photos Tests Auto-Printing Subscription Service

Decide which types of photographs you want, and then Google will pick them before mailing a cardboard envelope of prints directly to your doorstep.

 & Justin Herrick Freelancer

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS

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 are able to sign up for a service that delivers ten 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 4x6-inch prints. All ten 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.

It's all part of Google's larger strategy to monetize a platform that hosts more than 1 billion users worldwide. Google rolled out its 'Print Store' a few years ago with limited options, and today it boasts an array of sizes and styles to choose from. 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.

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.

About Our Expert

Justin Herrick

Justin Herrick

Freelancer

Justin is easily attracted to power buttons. His interest in technology started as a child in the 1990s with the original PlayStation, and two decades later he can't keep his hands off the latest gadgets. His work has appeared in TechnoBuffalo, Talk Android, Business Insider, and other award-winning publications. If you're interested in his latest ramblings, drop Justin a follow on Twitter @JustHerrick and Instagram.

Read full bio