Google+’s best feature is becoming a stand-alone tool

Google Inc. is planning to give its photo service more autonomy from its Google+ social network as the company looks to attract more users, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The move would enable the photo service to stand more independently and be accessible for consumers who aren’t part of Google+, potentially spurring more growth, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren’t public. The service, called Google+ Photos, would still work with the social network’s users and may be rebranded as part of the move, one of the people said. The world’s largest search engine, grappling with competition from Facebook Inc. (FB), Twitter Inc. (TWTR)and Yahoo! Inc., is freeing up services from Google+ after spending the past few years encouraging visitors to sign up for the social network. Google earlier this week enabled the social network’s Hangouts videoconferencing feature to work for some business customers who aren’t members of Google+. Google+ is evolving after the departure earlier this year of top executive Vic Gundotra, who had led the social effort and made it a key part of getting more people to sign into the services provided by the Mountain View, California-based company. “Over here in our darkroom, we’re always developing new ways for people to snap, share and say cheese,” Google said in an e-mailed statement without commenting specifically on any plans for separating out the photo service.