Google Photos on Android: what Google Play reviewers complain about
We classified the 300 newest English-language Google Play reviews of Google Photos (by Google LLC) in the US store, dated 22 October 2026 to 23 October 2026. Average rating in this sample: 4.26★. Its all-time Google Play rating is 4.4★ from 54.2M ratings. 34 reviews (11%) contained a complaint; the biggest theme was bugs (79% of complaining reviews).
Star ratings in this sample
| Stars | Reviews | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 5★ | 223 | 74% |
| 4★ | 20 | 7% |
| 3★ | 9 | 3% |
| 2★ | 9 | 3% |
| 1★ | 39 | 13% |
Complaint themes
| Theme | Reviews | Share of complaints | Avg severity (0–3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bugs | 27 | 79% | 2.1 |
| Feature requests | 11 | 32% | 1.8 |
| UX / design | 10 | 29% | 2.2 |
| Performance | 7 | 21% | 2.1 |
| Crashes / freezes | 4 | 12% | 2.6 |
| Pricing / subscription | 1 | 3% | 2.2 |
A review can count in several themes, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Top issues, ranked by reviews × severity
- Soften the redesign backlash: 8 complaining reviews, avg severity 2.2/3. What to do: Explain the change in-app, restore the most-missed option, or offer a setting for the old behaviour.
“I had to use an apk to download an older version of this app before the latest ui update ruined it” (1★, v7.90.0.971743778, 2026-10-22) - Ship the most requested feature: 7 complaining reviews, avg severity 1.9/3. What to do: Read the quotes below for the exact request; consider a public roadmap.
“GOOGLE NEEDS TO STAY IN THEIR LANE! 4 YEARS CAN NOT EVEN USE MY 40 YEAR OLD CELL NUMBER. PLA. NICE..CO EXIST. YOU GET MORE FLIES WITH SUGAR THAN GRABBIN BUSINESS. LET CUSTOMERS VOTE FREEWILL IF THE CHOISE TO DO BUSINESS WITH GOOD ANDROID BULLY WANTING TO BE ON…” (1★, v7.97.0.1000520730, 2026-10-22) - Fix crash on launch: 4 complaining reviews, avg severity 2.6/3. What to do: Check crash logs (Android vitals in Play Console / Crashlytics) for the affected version and device models first.
“This a great app but without update it doesn't open 😥” (5★, v7.96.0.996044120, 2026-10-22) - Simplify navigation: 4 complaining reviews, avg severity 2.1/3. What to do: Run a quick usability test on the screens users mention; remove extra taps and pop-ups.
“Photos announcement covering the whole screen is a big turn off to use the app for people with low internet like mine. I can't find the buttons due to low internet. ☹️” (2★, v?, 2026-10-22) - Speed up loading: 3 complaining reviews, avg severity 2.3/3. What to do: Profile cold start and the slowest screens on older devices; cache content.
“slow” (1★, v7.96.0.996044120, 2026-10-22)
Rating by app version
| Version | Reviews | Avg stars | Share with a complaint |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.98.0.1001971222 | 11 | 3.8 | 36% |
| 7.97.0.1003219379 | 5 | 4.2 | 20% |
| 7.97.0.1003140569 | 12 | 4.3 | 17% |
| 7.97.0.1000520730 | 88 | 4.2 | 15% |
Versions with fewer than 5 reviews in the sample are left out.
The same report for your Android app
Up to 600 recent Google Play reviews in up to 10 languages, classified into 7 themes and 18 specific issues, with severity, version trend, real quotes and 10 ranked fixes. PDF by email within 24–48 h.
Google Play report €19 €9 Free check
Launch prices until 30 Nov 2026 or the first 20 orders (then €19).
Method and limits
Reviews were collected once from the public Google Play listing (newest first, US store, English) with the open-source google-play-scraper library, then each review was classified by an AI model into 7 themes and 18 specific issues with a severity of 0–3; individual labels can be wrong, so check the quotes. Big apps get hundreds of reviews a day, so this is a snapshot of a few days, not the app's full history. Generated 24 October 2026. Not affiliated with Google LLC or Google.
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All Google Play reports · All app complaint reports
FAQ
What do Android users complain about most in Google Photos?
In the 300 newest US Google Play reviews (2026-10-22 to 2026-10-23), the most common complaint theme was bugs (79% of complaining reviews), and the top specific issue was “soften the redesign backlash” (8 reviews).
How many Google Photos Google Play reviews are negative?
34 of 300 recent reviews (11%) contained a complaint. Average rating in this sample: 4.26★.