Google has been improving its smart speakers for several years to increase the number of actions we carry out with them. One of the most notable improvements was to provide them with screens, something very convenient to use in the kitchen or as a photo frame.
To do the latter we could select a predefined album with works of art or use our own photos from services such as Google Photos, Facebook or Flickr. Up to now.
Facebook and Flickr are leaving Google’s smart screens
In the latest update of the Google Home application, the app that controls the settings of these devices, the alternatives to Google Photos have disappeared.
For years we have been able to configure Facebook and Flickr accounts to show our photos on the screens, but now Google leaves its own service as the only option.
Before and after
This function has always been marked as an experiment and in Google Home update 2.34 the company has decided to eliminate it.
This feature has also been removed from the Chromecast settings screen. The experimental option is kept, but to configure a low data consumption function, nothing more.
It is possible that Google is using this change to boost the use of Google Photos shortly before it ceases to be a free unlimited photo storage, something that happened at the beginning of this summer.
The Google Smart Screens entry no longer works with Facebook and Flickr appears first in The Free Android.
