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It’s officially “Recap season,” and while we usually wait for Spotify to kick things off, Google Photos is jumping in early this year. Starting this week, the Google Photos 2025 Recap is rolling out to users, offering a polished, cinematic highlight reel of your year.
But unlike previous years where you just had to accept whatever random (and sometimes awkward) photos the algorithm chose, Google is finally giving us the controls we’ve been asking for.
New stats and actual customization
The 2025 Recap brings back the fun stats we saw last year—like your top people and total photo count—but adds a new “selfie count” to the mix. If you are in the U.S. and have Gemini features enabled, it goes a step further, using AI to identify and showcase your “standout hobbies” and specific top highlights from 2025.
The biggest upgrade, however, is control. Google clearly heard the feedback about unwanted memories popping up. You can now choose to hide specific people or photos from your Recap. Once you make those tweaks, you can simply regenerate the video to get a version that doesn’t include your ex or that one terrible haircut.
Edit with CapCut and share to WhatsApp
For those who want to get really creative, Google has added a new “Edit with CapCut” button at the end of the Recap. This exports your highlights directly into CapCut, where you can apply exclusive Google Photos templates to make a much more personalized video than the standard automated one.
Sharing is also easier this year. You’ll find a carousel of short, shareable videos and collages at the end of your Recap, perfect for social media or group chats. There is even a direct option to share your Recap to your WhatsApp Status.
How to find it
You should start seeing your 2025 Recap in the Memories carousel at the top of the app starting this week. If you don’t see it yet, check the top of the app for a prompt to create it. Once watched, it will live in your Memories carousel and stay pinned in your Collections tab throughout December.
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