GOOGLE is now using webP format you will need this codec

[snowbear]

I just uploaded two to Google Photos - both stayed JPG.

Edit: Three for three. I'll check later to see if anything is different.

OK - I got it. If I post a photo on Google+ as a "What's with you" (the social media area), it will change. The images uploaded directly to Google Photos don't appear to be changing. It's appears it's going to be a non-issue for me.

And, if nobody else has tried, posting a link to an image results in the link as well as the embedded image, changed, of course; following the link gets the unchanged original.

 

[Advanced Photo]

It would only be for images that are displayed on their servers and not ones stored but not displayed. It is a web display format.

 

[ashleykaryl]

The WebP format appears to have poor compatibility with many browsers at present. Perhaps this is Google's way of trying to force the adoption.

 

[snowbear]

The WebP format appears to have poor compatibility with many browsers at present. Perhaps this is Google's way of trying to force the adoption.

It's not uncommon for one of the "giants" to start using a format before an updated standard is adopted. Obviously, a company will push their own development over others. Back in the dial-up days, there were two prominent 56k modem protocols being used, before one was finally adopted.

 

[ashleykaryl]

Sometimes it works the other way around as well. Apple almost single handedly killed off Flash by publicly criticising it and not installing it on iOS devices.

 

[Advanced Photo]

They only killed it on their devices. It still works just fine for the rest.