The topic Here’s how Google Photos is solving its digital picture frame problem is currently the subject of lively discussion — readers and analysts are keeping a close eye on developments.
This is taking place in a dynamic environment: companies’ decisions and competitors’ reactions can quickly change the picture.
Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
Digital photo frames should be one of the simplest smart home products in our lives. They don’t need to be anywhere near as advanced as a multi-purpose screen like a Nest Hub, and all we ask is that they connect to our photo library, and quietly display our pics. But last year, we learned about trouble brewing for many of these gadgets, as changes to Google’s Photos API threatened to break support for picture syncing with frames like those made by Aura. After sharing that it was working on a solution with Google, Aura is finally ready to let us in on exactly how this fix works.
The trick behind all this is apparently the Google Photos Ambient API. After Google changed how the Photos API worked for privacy reasons, frames like Aura’s couldn’t just directly connect to your Photos library in the cloud, forcing users to manually choose what they wanted to see on their frame. But now the Ambient API offers a new path forward, specifically designed for digital picture frames and smart TVs.
You will have to do some minor housekeeping to get this new version of photo sync working, connecting your Google account to the Aura app. Once you do, you’ll be able to add pics directly in Google Photos and have them sync up with your frames. And if you ever do want a little more control over what you’re seeing, you can always explicitly choose one pic or another to display through a new in-app photo selector.
We weren’t expecting to wait quite this long to get news of Aura’s solution, but we’re still glad to finally learn how this valuable feature is managing to make its return.
Thank you for being part of our community. Read our Comment Policy before posting.