Google’s photo sharing app Photovine is now open to all

Update: Read our full review here.

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Photovine has intrigued us for weeks. From the moment we caught wind of a new domain and trademark registration, we wondered what Google was up to. When the app emerged on the Apple App Store, only open to users approved for the private beta, it only served to whet our appetite further. Finally today, the app is open to all.

Created by Google’s Slide subsidiary, which has previously created social apps like Pool Party and Disco, Photovine is based around the idea of sharing photos based around themes, called ‘vines’, which work like tags in Flickr. At the moment, popular vines include ‘At My Bedside’, ‘City View’ and ‘It’s About Time’. What each of these vines contains is up to users’ own interpretation, and new vines can ‘grow’ as users create their own photo-based memes.

If you’ve already downloaded the app, you’ll have to grab the update from the App Store to be able to sign up without an invite. Interestingly, there’s still no sign of it on the Android Market – this is very much an iOS experiment for now. While that might seem odd, Slide seems to be left to get on with whatever it likes, rather than its apps having to be integrated with Google’s existing properties. That said, if it’s a success, integration with Google+ and Picasa, and yes, an Android version seem like obvious moves for the future.

The app doesn’t seem to be available worldwide yet, although we’ve confirmed that it’s live in the US, UK and Indian App Stores.

We’ll have a full review of the app soon, here on The Next Web.