Step-by-step
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📘 Step-by-step 📘 Google Photos↗ Google Photos · Official sitebeginner 🏠 Everyday life

Turn messy phone photos into a family album with Google Photos AI

Use free AI inside Google Photos to group pictures by the people in them in under 10 minutes.

7 min read·July 13, 2026

This guide was written by AI. It passed automated fact and quality checks; no human editor reviewed it.

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Imagine opening your phone’s gallery and seeing every photo of your child’s birthday, your last holiday, or your dog neatly grouped together — no endless scrolling, no guessing. With Google Photos’ free built-in AI, your phone’s photos can be automatically sorted by the people in them, so you can find what you need in seconds.

💡 Tip: tap a step’s number when you finish it — a green tick appears and your browser remembers how far you got.

✅ Before you start
  • A phone or tablet with the Google Photos app already installed (Android or iPhone).
  • At least a few dozen family photos already saved on that device.
  • A free Google account (the one you use for Gmail or YouTube).
  • Rough total time: 7–10 minutes.
1
Step 1 of 7

Open Google Photos and sign in

Unlock your phone and find the Google Photos app — it looks like a pinwheel made of red, yellow, green, and blue. Tap it once to open. If you see a prompt asking you to sign in, enter the email and password you use for your Google account. If you’re already signed in, you’ll see your username in the top-right corner.

💬 ExampleOpen the Google Photos app → tap **Sign in** → type `[email protected]` and your password → tap **Next**.
✅ You'll know it worked when

you see your photos appear in a grid.

Next step ↓
Google PhotosSign in
✏️ Sketch — your screen may look a little different
2
Step 2 of 7

Turn on the People group feature

At the bottom of the screen you’ll see five icons: Photos, Search, Albums, Utilities, and Library. Tap Search. On the Search screen, look for a heading like People & pets or Groups. Tap the heading once. Google Photos will show a short animation and then list any people it already recognizes.

💬 ExampleTap **Search** → scroll to **People & pets** → tap the heading → wait for the list to appear.
🔄 If it looks different

If you don’t see it yet, scroll down a little.

✅ You'll know it worked when

you see a list of names or faces under People.

Next step ↓
Google PhotosSearch
✏️ Sketch — your screen may look a little different
3
Step 3 of 7

Wait for Google Photos to finish scanning

If you’re doing this for the first time, Google Photos needs a few minutes to scan all your photos and find faces. While it works, you’ll see a small spinning circle in the top-right corner of the screen. You can close the app and come back later; the scan continues in the background.

💬 ExampleLeave the app open or close it — either way, come back in 2–3 minutes.
✅ You'll know it worked when

the spinning circle disappears and the list under People is fully loaded.

Next step ↓
Wait for Google Photos to finish scanning
4
Step 4 of 7

Name the groups you see

Under People, you’ll see headings like Unknown 1, Unknown 2, and so on. Tap one of these headings to see the photos inside. To give it a real name, tap the heading once, then tap Name or the pencil icon. Type the person’s name (for example, “Mom”, “Liam”, “Sarah”) and tap Save.

💬 ExampleTap **Unknown 1** → tap the pencil icon → type `Dad` → tap **Save**.
✅ You'll know it worked when

the heading changes from “Unknown 1” to the name you typed.

Next step ↓
Google PhotosName
✏️ Sketch — your screen may look a little different
5
Step 5 of 7

Create a family album from the groups

Once all the people are named, tap Library at the bottom of the screen, then Utilities. Under Create new, tap Album. Give the album a name like “Family 2025” and tap Create. Google Photos will open a new empty album. Tap Add photos → choose From your groups → select the people you want (for example, “Mom”, “Dad”, “Liam”). Tap Done.

💬 ExampleTap **Library** → **Utilities** → **Album** → name it `Family Summer 2025` → tap **Add photos** → choose **From your groups** → select “Mom”, “Dad”, “Liam” → tap **Done**.
✅ You'll know it worked when

you see all the photos of your family together in one album.

Next step ↓
Google PhotosLibrary
✏️ Sketch — your screen may look a little different
6
Step 6 of 7

Share the album with family in one tap

With the album still open, tap Share in the top-right corner. Choose how you want to send it: via text message, email, or any other app you like. The album link will open instantly for anyone who clicks it, and they’ll see the same neatly grouped photos.

💬 ExampleTap **Share** → choose **Messages** → pick “Mom” from your contacts → tap the send arrow.
✅ You'll know it worked when

you see the share sheet appear and the album link is ready to send.

Next step ↓
Google PhotosShare
✏️ Sketch — your screen may look a little different
7
Step 7 of 7

Let Google Photos keep the album updated

To make sure new photos are automatically added to the right groups, open the Google Photos app every few days and tap Search → People. If you see new “Unknown” groups, tap and name them as in Step 4. Google Photos will continue to group new photos by person without any extra effort from you.

💬 ExampleOpen Google Photos → tap **Search** → tap **People** → name any new “Unknown” groups → close the app.
✅ You'll know it worked when

new photos of the same person appear under their correct name in the People list.

Google PhotosSearch
✏️ Sketch — your screen may look a little different
⚠️ Common mistakes

  • Mistake: You don’t see the People & pets heading after tapping Search. Fix: Make sure you have at least a few dozen photos on the device. If you still don’t see it, tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner and choose Refresh.

  • Mistake: The names you give people disappear after you close the app. Fix: Always tap Save after typing a name. Your changes are saved to your Google account, so they’ll be there next time you open the app.

  • Mistake: The app runs slowly on an older phone. Fix: Close other apps while Google Photos is scanning. If it’s still slow, try scanning smaller folders first (for example, just the last six months of photos).

🚀 Try it now

Open the Google Photos app on your phone, tap Search, and look for People & pets. If you see any “Unknown” groups, tap and name them right away. You’ll have your first family album in under two minutes.

🎯 Next guideHow to use Google Gemini on your Android phone for daily tasksLearn how to use Google's smart assistant on your Android phone to draft messages, understand what's on your screen, and get hands-free help today.

❓ Quick questions

How long does this take?

About 7 minutes — the guide has 7 steps, and you can tick each one off as you go.

Which tool do I need?

This guide uses Google Photos — but the approach works very similarly in other AI assistants.

Do I need to prepare anything?
  • A phone or tablet with the Google Photos app already installed (Android or iPhone).
  • At least a few dozen family photos already saved on that device.
  • A free Google account (the one you use for Gmail or YouTube).
  • Rough total time: 7–10 minutes.
What mistakes should I avoid?

  • Mistake: You don’t see the People & pets heading after tapping Search. Fix: Make sure you have at least a few dozen photos on the device. If you still don’t see it, tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner and choose Refresh.

  • Mistake: The names you give people disappear after you close the app. Fix: Always tap Save after typing a name. Your changes are saved to your Google account, so they’ll be there next time you open the app.

  • Mistake: The app runs slowly on an older phone. Fix: Close other apps while Google Photos is scanning. If it’s still slow, try scanning smaller folders first (for example, just the last six months of photos).

Keep reading

📘 Remove Distractions from Photos with Google Photos Magic Eraser Effortlessly tidy up your pictures by brushing away unwanted objects and photobombers using this clever AI tool on your phone. 📘 How to Sort and Clean Up a Messy Phone Photo Library with Gemini Find duplicates, group similar shots, and pull readable text out of old screenshots — safely, one batch at a time 📰 How AI Helps You Reimagine Old Family Photos (and What to Try First) A friendly, practical look at the tools turning faded snapshots into moving memories — and how you can start today. 📰 AI Image Editing Tools Can Now Change Photos With Plain English What instruction-based editing, reference photos, and inpainting mean for everyday people 📘 How to use Google Gemini on your Android phone for daily tasks Learn how to use Google's smart assistant on your Android phone to draft messages, understand what's on your screen, and get hands-free help today. 📘 Organize Your Photos with Apple Intelligence: Smart Search & Editing Use Apple Intelligence to instantly find, group and edit your photos so your memories are always at your fingertips.
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