Google Photos users can now star in their own memes through a new AI-powered feature called Me Meme, which began rolling out to US Android users this week. The experimental tool uses generative AI to insert user photos into meme templates or custom images, creating shareable content directly within the Photos app.
Google announced Me Meme on its support forums, describing it as a "simple way to explore with your photos and create content that's ready to share with friends and family." Users select a template or upload their own reference image, choose a clear front-facing selfie, and generate the meme with a few taps. The feature was first spotted in October during an APK teardown, with code pointing to an AI-powered meme generator already in development.
Beyond new features, experienced Google Photos users have discovered productivity gains by abandoning four common habits. The first involves ignoring the white selection circle that appears beside dates in the photo grid. This circle allows bulk selection of all photos from a specific day, streamlining sharing workflows that previously required individual selections.
Left-handed users or those holding phones in their left hand can bypass the right-side circle entirely by using a long-press gesture on dates. Google Photos supports multiple gesture shortcuts for bulk selection, including swiping across rows or up/down through the photo grid. Another gesture enables one-handed zoom by double-tapping and holding, then swiping vertically to control zoom levels.
The third habit to drop involves ignoring Google Photos' Memories feature, which automatically creates collections of past photos as highlights. Users can curate these memories by removing unwanted photos through the three-dot menu in the Memory viewer interface. This prevents embarrassing or unwanted photos from resurfacing as automated highlights.
Finally, users should stop ignoring the dedicated scrollbar that appears during scrolling. The scrollbar shows years as users drag it, enabling rapid navigation through extensive photo libraries spanning multiple years. This addresses a navigation gap in Google's YouTube Music app, which has a scrollbar but doesn't allow dragging for fast navigation like Google Photos does.
Google Photos maintains its dominance partly through deep Android integration and convenience factors that alternatives struggle to match. Some users who tried open-source alternatives like Immich have reported returning to Google Photos, citing limitations in sharing features and editing tools. The app comes preinstalled on many Android devices, creating familiarity that competitors cannot easily overcome.
The Me Meme rollout follows Google's broader push into AI-powered photo editing, including object removal and enhancement features. While standalone AI image generators already offer meme creation capabilities, Google Photos reduces friction by integrating the functionality directly into the photo management workflow. The company labels Me Meme as experimental, managing expectations for the generative AI output quality.
US users accessing the feature navigate to Create, then Me Meme within Google Photos, selecting templates like the classic "This is fine" image or uploading custom references. After generation, users can save, regenerate, compare with original photos, or share immediately. International expansion reportedly depends on initial US performance and technical refinement.
Google Photos continues evolving through both visible feature additions and hidden productivity enhancements. The combination of AI-powered creativity tools and optimized usage patterns creates a more capable photo management ecosystem for both casual users and power users seeking maximum efficiency from their digital photo libraries.
