I think Google is missing a clear opportunity to compete with Instagram and the like. Google Photos is nearly default on just about every new and recent android phone in the world and its "partner" sharing feature (limited to just 1 partner) resembles a private IG-like share experience.
Imagine having that breadth of user base already active in your app but not simply adding a public network around it (with adequate privacy controls). Add a few ads here and there and it could pay for itself...
Please, no. Photos has way more personal photos of mine. I would prefer to pay and have my content be there without ads.
Also, maybe I am the odd one out here but I don't like concept of public sharing. The only reason I have wanted to upload pictures on Instagram instead of individually sharing photos with my friends is to make my dating profile look better.
I think they’ve been bruised by Google+. I will never trust Google to not add a version of this that keeps your email handle different from your supposed username. Even if they do, I expect them to pull the rug out from under the users in the future to tie the image account and google account together.
Social media like Instagram has actually shown that people appreciate having to explicitly upload select images to their online persona.
It's simpler and it also removes overhead like "wait, which photos can people see again?" Facebook had to build a complicated "view your profile as X" system early on just to address this trepidation.
Please no. Photos is where I put _all_ my photos. I don't want any social complexity layered on at all, ever. I'll gladly pay for the dumb storage solution they've got now (and, in fact, I do).
Imagine having that breadth of user base already active in your app but not simply adding a public network around it (with adequate privacy controls). Add a few ads here and there and it could pay for itself...