Joe Maring / Android Authority

Earlier this month, when we were checking out Google’s work on some new collage template options for Google Photos, we spotted another work-in-progress feature, one much more mysterious: something codenamed “Soba.” The icon we found associated with Soba sure seemed to imply that this would be some manner of AI-powered video feature, but at the time we really didn’t have anything else to go on. Soba’s still not ready to make its public debut, but it looks like we’re already getting to the bottom of what it’s set to do.

⚠️ An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.

Last year, Google gave us a pair of new AI tools for Photos: Photo to video, and photo remix. And now as we look across some of the new text strings present in version 7.80.0.929302933 of Google Photos for Android, it suddenly becomes clear what Soba is going to be: remix for videos.

<string name="photos_editor_bluejay_phototovideo_soba_backup_message_text">Back up this video to generate a video</string>
<string name="photos_editor_bluejay_phototovideo_soba_create_title">Video remix</string>
<string name="photos_editor_bluejay_phototovideo_soba_intro_text">Get cinematic relighting, immersive background swaps, and beautiful stylization for your video in one tap. Sounds may also be generated. Enjoy daily limited generations at no charge. Upgrade to a Google AI subscription for more generations.</string>
<string name="photos_editor_bluejay_phototovideo_soba_intro_title_text">Remix your video</string>
<string name="photos_editor_bluejay_phototovideo_soba_invalid_duration_too_short_message">This video is too short. Please select a longer video.</string>
<string name="photos_editor_bluejay_phototovideo_soba_picker_subtitle">Stable and steady videos work best</string>
<string name="photos_editor_bluejay_phototovideo_soba_playground_title">Remix your photos and videos</string>
<string name="photos_editor_bluejay_phototovideo_soba_policy_violation_message">Couldn’t generate the video. Try choosing another video.</string>
<string name="photos_editor_bluejay_phototovideo_soba_select_video">Choose video</string>
<string name="photos_editor_bluejay_phototovideo_soba_tip_expect_unexpected">Experiment: Every generation is unique—explore different templates.</string>
<string name="photos_editor_bluejay_phototovideo_soba_tip_less_is_more">Simplify the shot: Focus on just one or two subjects.</string>
<string name="photos_editor_bluejay_phototovideo_soba_tip_match_vibe">Match the vibe: Pair indoor clips with indoor effects.</string>
<string name="photos_editor_bluejay_phototovideo_soba_tip_minimal_camera_shake">Keep it steady: Use videos with minimal camera movement.</string>
<string name="photos_editor_bluejay_phototovideo_soba_tip_not_quite_right">Iterate: Don’t like the result? Try a different video.</string>
<string name="photos_editor_bluejay_phototovideo_soba_title">Remix your videos</string>

We’re still too early to get a look at any of this in action, or even preview much of the UI under development for this tool, but we can finally check out the button with its “Video remix” label:

AssembleDebug / Android Authority

Even without any functional preview, there’s still a good amount we can learn about what to expect based on all this text alone. It looks like the tool will offer “cinematic relighting, immersive background swaps, and beautiful stylization for your video.”

Just like remix for photos, the processing will happen in the cloud, so you’ll have to have your clips backed up with Google in order to take advantage. We can also see that there will be usage limits on how many videos you’re able to generate, with higher limits for paid Google AI accounts.

Some of the tips mentioned in here offer a little insight into other limitations, like a minimum video clip length and the suggestion to avoid starting with excessively shaky video. Scenes that are very crowded may not work great, with Google recommending focusing on just a couple subjects.

We’re also not yet clear exactly what video generation model Google may lean on for video remixes — Veo’s a possibility, but the new Gemini Omni also sounds like a perfect fit. However it ends up working, we’re already very excited about getting the chance to actually see what this can do in action. With any luck, we just might be able to bring you a look at that in the near future.