Google finally brings GIFs, fast forwards to Android with Motion Stills

Motion still is a three-second video loop which is a sort of an alternative to Live Photos

Google’s Motion Stills finally arrives on Android, a year after launching on iOS but has a different purpose for Android.

Motion Stills for iOS was basically seen as the easiest way to turn the iPhone’s Live Photos into shareable GIFs, but with Android not having Live Photos, the Motion Stills app simply exports GIFs.



The app takes two different types of shots. The first, is the “motion still.” It is just a three-second video loop which is a sort of an alternative to Live Photos.



Ironically, “motion still” doesn’t display any still photos and rather depicts a motion of photos, raising eyebrows over the name.

The second type of shot is called a “fast forward,” which is basically a Google version of Instagram’s Hyperlapse app.

Google’s fast forward lets you record a video, and then automatically stabilises that video to speed it up from twice to eight times the original speed.



"You can capture a short Motion Still with a single tap like a photo, or condense a longer recording into a new feature we call Fast Forward," Google wrote in a blog.



"Motion Stills on Android also comes with an improved trimming algorithm that guards against pocket shots and accidental camera shakes."

Why Google hasn’t come up with an Android app that simply took Live Photos is a question that surprised many, but with Motion Still, they are slowly getting there.