Google to launch standalone photo service

Google is preparing to launch a photo service that won’t rely on Google+ in any way. Apparently, this standalone photo sharing and storage service will be unveiled at Google IO 2015.

This new tool, formerly Google+ Photos, will let users share images on social sites like Facebook and Twitter. It’s believed that severing the service from Google+ will give the service greater freedom to take on its rivals.That has been seen with the now Facebook-owned Instagram, which has seen its user base grow to more than 300 million users.In March, Google Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai said that Google’s photos and social-stream features were likely to be treated as separate features.The irony hasn’t been lost on some people. Google+ Photos came to be because Google brought Picasa, a standalone photo editing and sharing service, into the Google+ fold.Of course, this is all speculation for the moment. Google will officially announce its plans next week during Google IO.

Google to launch standalone photo service on ClickOnline.com