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First Look: Google Photos could soon end the hassle of collecting party photos
Oct 14, 2026 — 1:28 AM ET
- Google Photos is developing a Group Camera feature that lets friends and family contribute photos and videos to a shared album.
- Users can schedule camera access, invite participants, and capture media using a dedicated camera interface.
- The feature was spotted in Google Photos 7.97 and is still in development, with no confirmed release date.
Google is constantly working on new features to make Google Photos more useful, from editing tools to new ways to organize and share memories. The app just added a quick edit button for videos, while we also recently reported that the 2026 Google Photos Recap could let users replace or remove individual photos.
Now, we’ve discovered another handy Google Photos feature in development that could make sharing photos and videos with friends and family a lot easier.
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While digging through the Google Photos app (version 7.97), we discovered that the platform is working on a “Group Camera” feature that lets people capture photos and videos for a shared album during an event.
What is Group Camera?
The idea behind Group Camera is to create a shared camera for an event, invite friends and family, and let everyone contribute their photos and videos to a single album instead of sharing media separately afterward.
Google’s introductory screen highlights three key aspects of the feature:
- Set a date and invite friends: Choose when the group camera will be available, then share it with others.
- Get notified when the camera starts: Participants will be notified when the shared camera becomes available.
- Collect everyone’s photos in one album: Pictures and videos captured through the group camera can be added to the same shared album.
Google even uses a birthday as an example of when the feature might come in handy, where several people are taking photos of the same event. The feature offers an eight-hour default duration, or you can select a custom schedule with specific start and end dates and times. The app notes that the schedule follows your current time zone.
How Group Camera will work in Google Photos
Based on the time we spent testing the feature, setting up a Group Camera should be pretty straightforward.
The feature can be accessed by tapping the camera shortcut in the top bar of the Google Photos home screen, or by tapping the + button and selecting Group Camera. The first time you use it, the introductory screens shown above explain how the feature works.
Once the group camera is available, contributors can open its dedicated camera interface and start clicking photos and videos to add to the shared album.
The Group Camera has its own interface, with controls to switch between the front and rear cameras, choose photo or video mode, and access camera settings. The layout resembles Google’s Pixel Camera app, though the interface in our screenshots still looks rough and could be something Google is developing.
After taking a photo or recording a video, users are shown a review screen before the media is added to the group camera album. They can review the capture and tap Add to contribute it. There is also a checkbox to stop the app from asking for a review every time, which could make adding multiple photos quicker.
The dedicated camera also has configurable default settings. These include flash mode, aspect ratio, video frame rate, video quality, and stabilization. Users can also enable audio recording by default. An option for concurrent camera capture appears in the settings, but it is disabled while HDR is active.
One of the more interesting details is a lock screen camera shortcut. Participants will see a notification when Group Camera is initiated, making it easier to access it without first opening Google Photos and navigating to the album. However, Google also seems to be working on a dedicated lock screen shortcut for accessing Group Camera.
Although we couldn’t activate the lock screen shortcut, we did find code evidence about it:
<string name="photos_flowers_collab_cam_setup_expiration_description">During this time, everyone will see a camera shortcut on their lock screen. Time is set to your current time zone.</string>
<string name="photos_flowers_bouquet_reinstate_notification_action">Turn on</string>
<string name="photos_flowers_bouquet_reinstate_notification_message">Camera shortcut for %1$s is off</string>
<string name="photos_flowers_bouquet_reinstate_notification_message_no_title">Camera shortcut for group camera is off</string>Meanwhile, the app also lets you edit the group camera’s schedule or turn it off through the album editing screen. You can even convert an existing album into a group camera album, suggesting that the feature won’t necessarily be limited to albums created specifically for it.
It’s worth noting that the camera shortcut in Google Photos can also be used to take regular photos and videos without adding them to a group camera album.
When will Google Photos Group Camera launch?
Group Camera could be a useful addition for anyone sharing photos from family gatherings, holidays, or other events. However, the feature is still in development, and Google hasn’t announced a release date or confirmed that it will launch publicly. Its final design and functionality could also change before release.
We’ll keep an eye out for further developments as Google continues working on the feature.
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