When Google Photos introduced Memories in 2019, my eyes rolled so far to the back of my head that I risked going permanently blind. At the time, every app was chasing TikTok and Instagram Stories, implementing those bite-sized swipeable short videos for dwindling attention spans, and I thought Google running after that trend was misguided and pointless. I have my photos and videos right there, in front of me, so why would I need reminders about them?
For several years, each time I set up my phone, I would go into Google Photos and disable all notifications coming from the app, including Memories. I didn’t want random reminders of things I’ve done and places I’ve been; I could consult them on my own terms. Or so I thought. During those years, whenever I opened the Photos app, I rarely, if ever, clicked on any Memory on top of my homescreen. To me, this was a waste of screen estate that could be used to display my most recent photos instead.