While Google’s Camera app has had “facial retouching” features for some time, the Photos app itself has largely avoided optimizing specific facial features. That will change soon. Android Authority took a deep dive into the code of the app’s latest version (7.56) and revealed a fully-functional “Touch Up” mode that lets you refine the details of a face long after the photo has been taken.
A new “Retouch” mode is coming to Google Photos
Deep in the latest update there is a hidden menu called Touch Up. The first time you tap it, the app will ask you to download a small 16MB file. This small package is the AI brain that powers the new tools.
Once it’s running, you’ll get a clean interface with six specific sliders: Smooth, Under Eyes, Iris, Teeth, Eyebrows, and Lips.
It’s not just a general “beauty filter” that blurs the entire image. The cool thing is that the AI recognizes individual faces. When taking a group shot, you can tap on a person to whiten their teeth or smooth their skin without strangely affecting the person standing next to them. It currently works with up to six faces per photo; more than that and the app will tell you the limit has been reached.
Why it matters: Smarter editing, more control, and what’s next
Google Photos is already the default gallery for over a billion people, but until now if you’ve wanted to correct dark circles or brighten a smile, you’ve probably had to switch to another app like Snapseed or Facetune. By directly integrating these tools, Google makes the app a true one-stop shop.
This is a big win for regular users. We all have those great group photos where one person looks perfect and the other is caught in bad light. The ability to edit per person solves this problem immediately. It’s less about fake, cumbersome filters and more about subtle, natural polish.
Google hasn’t officially announced when it will be retired, but since the feature already works in testing versions, it will likely be available very soon – perhaps in the next feature drop. This is a clear sign that Google wants your photo gallery to be smarter and wants Google to do the work for you so you don’t have to be a Photoshop pro just to look good.
