Snapseed lives to fight, or should I say edit, another day, following a recent update that was released on the Play Store for Android devices, according to Android Police.
I'm grateful: The long-time app, which is owned by Google and has over 100 million downloads, is still one of my favorite free photo editors with some really powerful tools that you just don't get with your camera app. Android device.
Snapseed's smart tools include a wide range of one-touch styles and a neat 'Selective' feature that can make localized edits, for example by highlighting just the subject to highlight it.
However, it will be difficult to see exactly what is new in this recent update. There's an auspicious lack of AI-powered tools that are regularly in the spotlight today in Google's own Google Photos app, and the plethora of AI-powered apps that are emerging for iOS and Android devices, like Canva.
Google's own editing app features some interesting if polarizing AI editing tools, like Magic Eraser (which recently arrived on older phones) and Best Take.
Since Google bought Snapseed in 2012, updates have been few and far between. Major updates include the 2017 redesign and an update in 2023 that made it compatible with Android 13.
And so, while Snapseed's latest update provides comfort to its regular users that the free editor isn't going anywhere anytime soon, it seems the writing is on the wall for one of the most beloved free photo editing apps, given that rival apps of 2024 depend so much. about AI.
With the latest update, it's fair to assume that Google is putting most of its efforts into developing its own Google Photos app, likely future AI-powered tools. It remains to be seen what his plans are with Snapseed.
Maybe it's nostalgia on my part, but I hope to continue using my favorite free editing app for many years to come. It's still a powerful editor despite its lack of AI, as you can see in one of my photo edits above. Maybe Google will change course for the publishing veteran and introduce powerful new tools, but that seems unlikely. Please don't remove it.
