Google confirms: Powerful 'Help me edit' tool is missing in some states

When Google launched the Pixel 10 series, it also debuted a conversational editing feature for the Photos app. Conversational editing is a Gemini-powered feature that allows you to edit images simply by entering a text or voice prompt. Last month, Google expanded the feature so other Android users in the US could begin trying it out. Although it’s now available on more Android devices, it’s still missing for users in two states.

According to the Houston Chronicle, conversational editing is not available to users in Texas. The feature is also unavailable in the state of Illinois. It appears that this is not a bug, but rather intentional.

When the publication reached out to Google for comment, a PR representative said:

The ability to ask Photos to edit your images is not available to users in Texas and Illinois at this time. We are working to determine how to make Ask Photos available to more users.

The spokesperson did not expand on why Texas and Illinois are excluded when asked follow-up questions. One possibility could be that both of these states have biometric data laws. Google has previously been sued by Texas for its collection of “biometric identifiers, including voiceprints and records of face geometry.” In that suit, the tech giant was forced to pay around $1.4 billion. It’s likely that the company isn’t interested in taking on that headache.

If you were looking forward to using conversational editing and you live in Texas or Illinois, it looks like you’re out of luck. It would be nice if Google was a little more upfront about these exceptions. At least all of the other editing tools are still there for you to use.