Google Photos has come under criticism for its new ‘My Week’ feature, which seems to closely resemble an existing app’s functionality.
- The feature lets users share weekly memories with a select group of people.
- The co-founder of the Retro app has publicly noted the design similarities.
- Retro CEO is cautiously optimistic, saying the product could still change.
- Google has yet to comment on these allegations.
In a recent development, Google Photos is facing scrutiny for a feature called ‘My Week’, which allows users to share weekly highlights with an invited audience. The feature, announced back in January by Android Authority, intends to help users keep their friends and family updated with weekly memory sharing. However, it closely resembles the Retro app, which offers a similar service.
Ryan Olson, co-founder and CTO of Retro, highlighted the similarities in a social media post on X. “Feel like I’ve seen this somewhere… 🤨,” Olson remarked, accompanied by an emoji face with a monocle. He also provided a side-by-side comparison of the two applications, showing striking resemblances in functionality and design.
Nathan Sharp, Retro’s CEO, has commented on the situation as well. In an interview with Tech Crunch, Sharp stated, “At first, when you see this, it does make you a little angry, because it seems like some things are lifted one to one. But… this isn’t what they’re shipping. They aren’t asking to be judged on what’s on Twitter today. So I have to kind of step back and say, this is probably a team in progress.” Despite his concerns, Sharp remains optimistic that Retro’s unique attributes will continue to resonate with its users.
Therefore, it remains to be seen how Google will respond to these accusations. Nathan Sharp’s comments suggest the possibility that Google’s final product may differ from the current version. However, the concern remains that Google may be taking inspiration a bit too liberally from a smaller competitor’s unique feature set. Google’s response to these allegations, or lack thereof, will be crucial in determining the direction of this unfolding story.
The pending response from Google will be critical in addressing the allegations and clarifying the future of the ‘My Week’ feature’s final design.
Source: Androidauthority – Twitter
