Google Photos is giving you better control over who shows up in your Memories — here’s how it works

Google Photos icon on phone
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

If there’s a particular person or group of people you’d rather not be reminded of, then the last thing you want is for Google Photos’ Memories feature to resurface pictures of them — as if to say “hey, remember that thing you’d rather not think about?”. Well, the good news is Google is giving you a little more control over that process.

The idea behind the Memories feature is to help you reconnect with your past. Rather than having those photos stuck in the depths of your photo library, it allows those images to resurface and help you remember the good ol’ days when rent was cheap and nobody knew what an influencer was. 

The new feature is simply labeled “show less” and means that a particular person won’t show up nearly as often as they otherwise would have. The crucial thing here is that it isn’t a blanket block on that person. 

Whether it’s a deceased friend or relative, or an ex that you had some good times with even if things didn’t work out, they won’t be banished from your Memories forever. 

Open Google Photos' settings

Head into Google Photos > Photo Settings > Preferences > Memories. From there you’ll see options to Hide Dates or Hide People and Pets, you’ll want to tap the latter.  

Select how you want to categorize unwanted faces

The final menu has two Select faces options, one under Show Less and another under Blocked. That will give you the option to pick and choose which faces you want to place in each category, and hopefully make the Memories feature a little more comfortable for everyday viewing. 

The Show Less feature is now available in the latest version of Google Photos. If you can't see it make sure that you have updated through the app store, and if that still doesn't work then you might just have to be patient and wait while Show Less rolls out to your phone.

More from Tom's Guide

Category
Arrow
Arrow
Back to Mobile Cell Phones
Brand
Arrow
Storage Size
Arrow
Colour
Arrow
Condition
Arrow
Minimum Price
Arrow
Any Minimum Price
Maximum Price
Arrow
Any Maximum Price
Showing 10 of 77 deals
Filters
Arrow
Our Review
1
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max 256GB
Verizon
(256GB Black)
Our Review
2
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Cell...
Amazon
(128GB)
Our Review
3
Google Pixel 8 Pro - Unlocked...
Amazon
(512GB Black)
Our Review
4
OnePlus - 12 512GB (Unlocked)...
Best Buy
(White)
Our Review
5
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max 256...
Visible
(512GB)
Our Review
6
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra...
Samsung
Our Review
7
Google Pixel 8 Pro - 128 GB
Verizon
(256GB Blue)
Our Review
8
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max 256GB...
Total Wireless
Our Review
9
Samsung - Galaxy S24 Ultra...
Verizon
bundle
(128GB)
Our Review
10
Pixel 8 Pro Bay 128GB...
Google Store
Show more
Tom Pritchard
UK Phones Editor

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.