Google invites itself into your closet — to help you try on your clothes

Would you let Google snoop around your closet? Your closet is a sacred domain for your most personal items, and now Google wants to peek inside. A new feature in Google Photos lets you virtually mix and match clothing items to create new outfits without physically trying them on. All it needs is an AI scan of you and your photo library to build your digital wardrobe.

That’s what the company hopes you’ll allow with the new Wardrobe feature in Google Photos. This was first announced back in April of this year, and after several long months and a multi-stage rollout, it is finally available to both Android and iOS users through the Google Photos app.

If your creep-o-meter is already leaning at full tilt, you’re not alone.

To find the new Wardrobe feature, open the Google Photos app, tap the “Create” tab at the bottom, and select “Outfit try-on” at the top. From here, you can start to build your digital wardrobe. All you have to do is let Google scan through your photo library in search of existing images of you that its AI can use to identify your face, body type, and clothing options from outfits you own.

If your creep-o-meter is already leaning at full tilt, you’re not alone. There’s something a bit skeevy about unleashing Google’s AI on your entire library so that it can build a digital model of you and every outfit you have worn throughout thousands of images.

And yet, for the sake of this article, I hit the button and let it root through my digital life to see what Wardrobe was all about. The process can take several hours, so feel free to run it in the background while you go about your day, if you’re so inclined.

Wardrobe in Google Photos/Zach Laidlaw

Alas, I didn’t meet the minimum requirement to put my wardrobe to use. You need at least 1,000 photos of yourself wearing easily identifiable clothing; otherwise the feature will come up blank.

For those who fit the bill, though, the feature lets you digitally “try on” up to six different items — including shirts, pants, and accessories — in your closet without going through the trouble of putting them on, similar to the clothing picker in the movie "Clueless." This lets you easily see which items would go well together to better plan an outfit for the day.

The only thing you can’t do is add photos of clothes you find online to see how they look on you without buying them. Google's Wardrobe is strictly meant for the things you already wear — at least for now.

RELATED: Google's new daily helper knows all about you. Just how creepy is it?

Marina113/Getty Images

Naturally, Wardrobe in Google Photos raises plenty of concerns for potential misuse and abuse. For instance:

1. It’s available to anyone with “an eligible Google Account that meets the minimum age requirements for your country or region.” In the United States, that age limit is 13. Digging deeper into Google’s age restrictions, users as young as 13 are permitted to use Google AI via Gemini, though some generative AI photo features are reserved for users 18 years old and up. It’s unclear where Wardrobe fits into this structure and whether or not minors can be scanned and uploaded into the system.
2. Google Photos lets you choose which person you want to stylize at the initial setup, aside from yourself. That means you can technically select a friend, family member, or a complete stranger to use as a digital doll to test outfits as you see fit.
3. Some garments are more intimate than others. There is no documentation as to how Google’s Wardrobe handles more private apparel, should these appear in a photo scan.

Blaze News reached out to Google to clarify these misuse and abuse concerns, and a spokesperson provided the following response:

We take protecting kids seriously. We have strong safeguards for the Google Photos Wardrobe feature, including restrictions on allowed clothing types, modesty guardrails to prevent nudity, and age limits that prevent access by younger users.

Google added that revealing clothing, like swimwear and lingerie, are prohibited for all users. “Child account holders” under age 13 cannot use the Wardrobe in Google Photos at all, though based on Google’s age criteria, underage teenagers may still have access. Lastly, Wardrobe is governed by Google’s generative AI prohibited use policy that strictly prohibits the creation of intimate imagery, child exploitation, and abuse.

Since Wardrobe is closely tied to Google’s AI endeavors, it’s restricted to Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers for now. However, as with many of Google’s paid exclusives, Wardrobe could eventually trickle down to free customers as well. Luckily, Google’s Wardrobe feature can’t activate until you enable it manually.

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