Android 101: how to download or share a Google Photos album

Photo by James Bareham / The Verge

One thing Google really wants you to do is, well, stay in Google — because the more you do things the Google way, the more data the company can monetize. The result is that while it is possible to pull your emails, photos, and other material outside of the Googleverse, it’s just a little bit more difficult.

For example, let’s say you want to show an album of family photos that are stored on Google Photos to your favorite grandparent. If they’re reasonably Google-savvy, it’s not a problem at all — you just share the album with them.

Share a Photos album on the web

Click on “Albums” in the left menu.
Hover the cursor over the album you want to share, and click on the three dots.
Click on “Share album.”

All you have to...