Google Photos Slideshow: How to Make One, Settings and Apps

To make a slideshow in Google Photos, open an album at photos.google.com, click the three dots (More options) at the top right and choose Slideshow; press Esc to stop. In the Google Photos app, Create, Animation turns photos you pick into a short clip. Google's slideshow has no settings for speed, music or transitions, so for a slideshow you can tune and leave running full screen, pick your Google photos in a slideshow app on your iPad, iPhone or Mac.

That's what I built Digital Photo Frame App for: connect Google Photos, pick your photos in Google's own picker, and play them with the timing, transitions, music and clock you choose. It is free to download, with a 7-day free trial of Premium.

Option 1: Google Photos' own slideshow tools

Google Photos has three built-in ways to show photos one after another:

• Slideshow on the web. At photos.google.com, open an album (or its first photo), click the three dots at the top right and choose Slideshow. The browser goes full screen and moves through the photos by itself. Press Esc to stop. Some versions of the phone app also have Slideshow in the three-dot menu of an open photo, but Google moves this option around, so don't count on it.
• An animation. In the Google Photos app, tap Create, then Animation, pick your photos and tap Create. You get a quick-moving clip you can keep and share; you can't change its speed.
• Photo frames. On devices such as Google TV, Chromecast and Nest Hub displays, Google Photos can show albums on the idle screen (not in every country). In the Google Photos app, tap your profile picture, then Google Photos settings, Apps & devices, Photo frames. For the steps on Google TV, and why Apple TV and Mac can't do it, see Google Photos as a screensaver.

Google Photos slideshow settings

This is where most people get stuck. Google Photos' slideshow plays your photos at a fixed pace, and there's no menu to change how long each photo stays, add background music, pick a transition or shuffle. You also can't save a slideshow to play again later: you start it from the album each time.

If you want those settings, use a slideshow app that reads your Google photos. On iPad, iPhone and Mac, that's what the next option does.

Option 2: a Google Photos slideshow app for iPad, iPhone and Mac

I built Digital Photo Frame App around an iCloud shared album for my parents, but plenty of families keep everything in Google Photos, so the app connects to it too. It runs on iPad, iPhone and Mac.

1. Open Add Source and choose Google Photos, then tap Connect to Google Photos and sign in with your Google account.
2. Tap Select Google Photos Media. Google's own picker opens.
3. Choose the photos and videos you want, then return to the app.
4. Play the selection, or save it as a slideshow and turn on Enable Auto-Play so it starts whenever the app opens.

From there it plays like any other source, with the settings Google's slideshow doesn't have: how long each photo stays, transitions, background music, weather, date and time, and photo info. You can also filter a selection to only photos or only videos, or to a date range such as Last Week, Last Month or Last Year.

What changed in 2025

Google changed how apps can use Google Photos. Apps can now only use the photos you choose in Google's picker. They can't browse your albums or follow a shared album anymore.

In practice:

• Your selection is a snapshot. Photos you add to a Google album later won't appear until you open your selection again and add them.
• Selections can expire. If the app says your Google Photos selection has expired, open it and pick the photos again.
• No Apple TV. Google Photos isn't available in the app on Apple TV. Use the app on iPad, iPhone or Mac, or AirPlay from them.

Want a frame that updates by itself?

If family members should add photos from their own phones and see them appear on the frame, use an iCloud Shared Album. New photos show up while the slideshow is running. That's how my parents' frame has worked since our twins were born: digital photo frame for grandparents shows the setup. If your family is set on Google Photos and wants self-updating albums, a dedicated frame such as Aura can sync Google albums; I compare them honestly in Frameo vs Aura vs Skylight.

Not sure which to use? Google Photos vs iCloud for a digital photo frame puts them side by side.

Manuel Escrig

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Google: Make creations with Google Photos
• Google: Choose albums to display on your photo frames