Google has added some new features to its end-of-year Photos app throwback experience, including a selfie count, CapCut integration, and photo curation capabilities. The Google Photos Recap includes insights and graphics that summarize what users have been snapping over the year, and follows the updated presentation format Google introduced in 2024 which looks like a closer riff on Spotify Wrapped to me.
The Recap is available starting today. It will appear in the Google Photos Memories carousel and then be pinned in the Collections tab throughout December.
A new insight for the 2025 Recap is a selfie count that presumably uses facial recognition tech to tell you how many photographs you took of yourself — which could be humbling if you take several attempts to get the best shot. Users in the US with Gemini features enabled in Photos will also be shown their “standout hobbies and top highlights from the year,” according to Google’s announcement.
Another new feature allows Photos users to hide specific people or photographs from appearing in the Recap. After choosing what to exclude, users can then regenerate an updated version of the Recap experience that they’re more comfortable with viewing or sharing with others. Sharing features have also been updated, with a carousel of short videos and collages now appearing at the end of the Recap that have been curated for sharing the best highlights on socials or group chats, alongside a new option to share the Recap directly to your WhatsApp status.
A CapCut integration has also been introduced that makes it easier to edit the Recap. Selecting the “Edit with CapCut” button at the end of the presentation will export the Recap to CapCut, providing “exclusive Google Photos templates” for quick customization, according to Google.
