It is in Google's or Apple's best interest to utilize the mass market of people they have intertwined with their photo software/cloud storages.... How? By building a photo sharing platform to rival Snapchat, Instagram, VSCO, Facebook etc. The photos are already in your phone/their cloud, they just need compelling features and means to share them. Things like face filters and professional editing tools so users stay in the cloud. Otherwise photos tend to depart the ecosystem.
Apple/Google photosharing currently works for sharing small group things like a camping trip, but it doesn't work for mass audiences or individuals in the same way popular social media outlets do. If Google leveraged their strength as a library, to promote creative outlets FOR the library, it could be as simple and effective as the rest of their tools.
Keep in mind this wouldn't be Google+ where it is a social media site. It would be both archival and active. Making stored photos easy to edit, easy to share, and easy to scroll through.
Ideally this tool would not have to be built, maintained and monetized by Google or Apple. Ideally it would be a third party, however this would be difficult since almost every modern photo is taken on a phone and then uploaded in library's on Google or Apple's cloud. If you could share easily from that library for various formats, to various audiences, there would be no need for the middlemen. (Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, VSCO, etc)
Ideally:
1. Take photo(s)
2. Edit selection(s)
3. Share
Yes, Instagram does literally this. However, that means using their platform, which is very very rigid. (Low quality, limited dimensions, weak editing tools, no post-editing, no context editing etc.) Sure it's 'photo based' but missed the boat on a lot of issues.
Simply having a chance to change the context around the photos would be great. (Layout, background, text, etc.) Would so many people have white borders baked into their photos if they could scale up the spacing between images on their profile/albums?
Here's a rough sketch of how it might look:
Anyways, just some thoughts on Photo Sharing.
UPDATE Nov 4th, 2019: Using Google Photos as my only social media currently. Link.
(Still want to make the Timeline app though)