While you might be thinking that this sounds too good to be true, well, there are a couple of limitations you should keep in mind before you jump in headfirst and upload your entire photo library. Keep reading to learn about the specifics of using Google Photos on your iPhone.

Is Google Photos storage really unlimited?

Yes. Google Photos really does offer unlimited storage for your pictures and videos, and it’s the only cloud service to provide this much storage. But if you’re thinking to yourself that this sounds too good to be true, you’re right. There is a catch to Google’s free storage.

The catch with free storage on Google Photos

To get unlimited storage with Google Photos, you have to agree to upload compressed pictures and videos. Thankfully, you can still save your library at a reasonably high quality. Google caps pictures at 16 MP and videos at 1080p. Is it full quality? No. But if you’re just looking for a free backup of your entire photo library, it’s a pretty good deal.

Google Photos storage limits for original photos and videos

Of course, compressing your pics and videos isn’t your only option with Google Photos. You can opt to save them at full quality, but they will count towards your Google One storage quota. At the time of writing, Google One’s storage plans are:

• 15 GB for free
• 100 GB for $1.99/month
• 200 GB for $2.99/month
• 2 TB for $9.99/month

How to get unlimited storage on Google Photos

Maybe you’re ready to jump into Google’s unlimited storage headfirst, or perhaps you just want to dip your toe in. Either way, here’s how to set up Google Photos:

1. Download Google Photos from the App Store.
2. Open the app and sign in to your Google account.
3. Choose High quality.
4. Tap Confirm.

That’s all you need to do! Depending on how big your photo library is, it might take some time for the initial upload. But for the fastest performance, it’s best to connect your phone to Wi-Fi and make sure you leave the Google Photos app open.

How to upgrade your Google Photos storage plan

If you end up running out of space on Google Photos, you can follow these steps to upgrade your storage plan:

1. Open Safari and go to the Google Storage page.
2. Sign in to your Google account.
3. Tap Get more storage.
4. Select a storage plan.
5. Follow the prompts to complete your purchase.

How to squeeze more into your Google Photos storage

Even if you’re using the unlimited storage on Google Photos and you aren’t worried about running out of space, it’s still a good idea to try to keep your photo library cleaned up. The more you have stored in it, the slower it can become over time, so here are a few things you can do to make sure you’re getting the most out of your Google storage.

1. Declutter photos before you upload them

Before you upload your pictures to Google Photos, you should declutter your photo library to ensure that you’re not backing up pictures you don’t actually want. You can use an app like Gemini Photos to scan your library to quickly get rid of duplicates, similar-looking images, notes, and more.

After you download Gemini Photos from the App Store, follow the steps below to clean up your library:

1. Open Gemini Photos and let it scan.
2. Tap Similar and choose a month. Your similar pics will be grouped together.
3. Go through each grouping and de-select the ones you want to keep. Then tap Move to Trash.
4. When you’re finished going through a month, tap Empty Trash.
5. Open your Photos app.
6. Tap Albums > Recently Deleted > Select > Delete All.

You can repeat these steps to go through each subsequent month or different categories like Screenshots, Blurred, Notes, etc.

2. Use a dedicated account for Google Photos

If you are saving your original pictures and videos, Google Photos counts toward your shared Google One storage, which means that Google Photos shares space with other services like Google Drive and Gmail.

One way to help ensure that you have enough storage is to create a dedicated Google account just for your photos. That way, you’re not having to split or share your storage. 

3. Clean up your Gmail account

Because Gmail shares storage space with Google Photos, you might want to consider cleaning out your inbox. While emails themselves don’t take up a lot of space, the attachments in your emails do, so it’s wise to get into the habit of periodically purging your account of messages and attachments you don’t need anymore.

The easiest way to clear out large attachments in your email is in a desktop browser on your computer:

1. Open your Gmail mailbox.
2. In the search field at the top, type “has:attachment larger:10M”
3. Select the emails you want to delete.
4. Click the trash can icon.

4. Compress original-quality photos

If you had been uploading your pictures at original or full quality but you’ve decided to switch to the unlimited storage, you can compress the images you’ve already uploaded. You will have to do this from a browser, either on your phone or computer:

1. Go to the Google Photos Settings page.
2. Click Recover storage.
3. Click Compress.

While there may be a minor catch, Google Photos does deliver on what it advertises: free, unlimited storage for all of your pictures and videos. And there’s so much more to the Google Photos app than just storing and viewing. You can also edit your pictures. In fact, the app uses AI to create short videos using your library. They even offer printing options if you decide you want to have any of your pictures printed later. And the fact that it’s free allows you to painlessly check it out before making the commitment to use a new photo service.

The post Google Photos storage limit: Is the free storage really unlimited? appeared first on Backlight.

This article will go over the three major photo storage services — Amazon Photos, Google Photos, and iCloud — and share everything you need to know to help you decide which service is best for you.

Amazon Photos vs. Google Photos vs. iCloud: The pricing

Even comparing the pricing options of the three major photo storage services can be confusing because they all offer something different. For instance, Amazon bases its pricing on a yearly rate, while Google and iCloud will charge you every month. Each of them also offers a free tier with different perks and limitations. But if you want to upgrade to more storage, here’s a breakdown across each service:

Amazon Photos

• 100 GB for $19.99/year
• 1 TB for $59.99/year

Google Photos

• 100 GB for $1.99/month
• 200 GB for $2.99/month
• 2 TB for $9.99/month

iCloud

• 50 GB for $0.99/month
• 200 GB for $2.99/month
• 2 TB for $9.99/month

How much cloud storage do I get for free?

As we mentioned earlier, each service offers a free tier with different features. Here’s a comparison of what you can expect from these free options before you have to upgrade and start paying for storage.

Amazon Photos

To say that Amazon Photos has a free service is a bit misleading. They do offer free unlimited photo storage, but to Amazon Prime customers only. And that’s only for pictures. You only get 5 GB to store your videos for free. To back up more videos, you’ll have to upgrade your storage.

If you want to use Amazon Photos without being a Prime member, there is no free option. You’ll have to subscribe to one of their paid storage tiers. 

Google Photos

The good news about Google Photos is that you get unlimited pics and video storage for free. Yes, you read that right — free unlimited storage for your photo library. The catch, however, is that you can only save compressed versions of your pictures and videos. 

If file compression isn’t a big deal to you, then Google Photos is a steal. But if you want to save your photo library at full quality, you can upload 15 GB free before you have to upgrade to a paid storage option.

iCloud

Of these three services, iCloud is probably the most straightforward when it comes to pricing. The free tier gives you 5 GB of storage but not without a catch. That 5 GB of storage is shared with everything else on iCloud. 

If your iPhone is connected to an iCloud account, it means you’re splitting that 5 GB of free storage between your photos, notes, text messages, contacts, and iPhone backup file. As you can imagine, that 5 GB doesn’t go far when you take all of those things into consideration.

Is Amazon Photos, Google Photos, or iCloud more convenient?

There’s a lot to take into account when you’re comparing these services, especially when trying to determine which service is going to be the most convenient for you. For example, if you’re using an iPhone, then iCloud, right off the bat, is the most native because so many features of iOS depend on having an iCloud account. But here’s a closer look at how these services hold up when pitted against each other.

Amazon Photos vs. Google Photos

If you’re just looking for free online photo storage, these two are definitely the ones you want to dig into. The immediate downside to either of these is that they both require a second app. So, while you take pictures using the Camera app, everything you capture still ends up in the Photos app first. 

Thankfully, both services allow you to automatically upload your pictures as you take them on your phone. This is great if you’re using it to backup your photo library. But if you want to clear space on your device, Google Photos gives you an easy “Free up space” button that will delete pictures from your phone after uploading them. 

It’s features like this that give Google Photos a slight advantage over Amazon Photos. That being said, if you’re already an Amazon Prime member and want to save your pictures at full quality, then Amazon Photos might make a little more sense for you.

iCloud vs. Google Photos

Deciding between these two services isn’t as easy, since they offer a lot of the same functionality. The great thing about Google Photos is that it’s platform-agnostic, meaning it works on Android devices just as well as it works on iOS. That means you’ll never have to worry about your photo library because it lives in Google Photos and can be downloaded to almost any type of device.

That said, the fact that iCloud is native only to iOS is actually a good thing and makes it more convenient to use than Google Photos. All you have to do is turn iCloud Photos on, and everything in your Photos app will sync with the cloud. That’s it.  There’s no second app you have to use to manage your photo library. You don’t have to worry about remembering to free up space. Everything works with iCloud and the Photos app as it should, without any additional effort from you.

Amazon Photos vs. iCloud

Amazon Photos offers a lot of features similar to iCloud and Google Photos. Features like facial recognition, organizing photos by locations, and even auto-creating memories from your pictures. And if you’re solely looking for a backup for all of your photos, then you can’t beat the free unlimited storage Amazon Photos offers to Prime members. 

When Amazon Photos might not work for you is if you have a lot of videos you want to backup or if you’re not already a Prime member. There’s also the inherent benefit of iCloud being part of iOS; it’s not an additional app that you have to worry about, like with Amazon Photos.

So what’s the best photo storage app, all things considered?

Taking everything into consideration, the best photo storage option is iCloud. Because all of its features are native on your iPhone, iCloud is the most convenient option and will be the easiest to use in the long run. Especially if you’re trying to keep multiple devices like a phone, computer, and tablet in sync. 

What’s the best free photo storage app?

If you’re looking purely for the best free option, you can’t go wrong with Google’s unlimited photo storage. While it does slightly compress your pictures and videos, it doesn’t compress them all that much. In fact, the loss of quality is so minimal that you’ll probably have to look at photos side-by-side to even notice any degradation.

Whether you want to back up your photo library or you’re just trying to free up space on your phone, there are some great cloud-based storage options. If you’re not entirely sure what to look for when you’re signing up, it can seem a little confusing at first. Hopefully, this article has helped you understand the differences and determine which photo storage app will work best for you when choosing between Amazon Photos, Google Photos, and iCloud. 

The post Amazon Photos, Google Photos, or iCloud? Photo storage apps compared appeared first on Backlight.

Is storing and sharing with Google Photos safe? 

There’s an obvious concern any time you upload your pictures to a service on the internet, and you should exercise that same level of concern when you upload to Google Photos. Even though Google goes to great lengths to secure their services, there’s always a chance of vulnerability and the risk that someone could get access to your pictures and videos. 

All this is to say that you should be cautious and use common sense with sensitive pics or videos before you upload them to Google Photos.

Are Google Photos private?

The simple answer is yes; by default, Google Photos is private. Everything you upload can only be seen by you. And thankfully, the only way to change one of your photos’ permissions is to log in to your account and share your photos with another user.

Can someone get access to my photos?

The only way someone can access your photos in Google Photos is if you choose to share them with that person. But keep in mind that when you share a picture with someone, Google Photos sends them a link. While it is unlikely that someone else will gain access to that link, if they do, they will also have access to your picture.

Can Google access my photos?

Yes, Google can and does access your photos. But that doesn’t mean that they’re going to use your pictures in ads for Google Photos or populate Google Image searches. According to some reports on the internet, what this access means is that Google can scan your photos for metadata to target you with advertising. 

Protecting your privacy in Google Photos

Even though you might only be uploading personal pictures or family videos to Google Photos, there are some extra steps you can take to help ensure that your photo library stays private.

How to create a private album in Google Photos

The great thing about Google Photos is that by default, your entire photo library is private. Follow these steps to create an album that only you can see:

1. On your iPhone, open the Google Photos app.
2. Tap Album > New Album.
3. Type a title for the album.
4. Tap Select photos.
5. Add the picture(s) or video(s) you want to that album.
6. Tap Add.

You don’t need to worry about getting all of the pictures you want into that album right now. You can always add more at any time.

How to hide photos in Google Photos

While Google Photos doesn’t have a “hide” feature, you can archive pictures, which will move them from your main library into an archive. Follow these step to archive a picture on Google Photos:

1. Select the photo(s) you want to archive.
2. In the upper-right corner, tap the ellipses.
3. Tap Archive.

How to create a shared album  

In addition to creating private albums, Google Photos also lets you create shared albums with other users. In Google Photos, you can actually turn any album into a shared album:

1. Open the album you want to share.
2. Tap the ellipses in the top-right corner.
3. Tap Options.
4. Turn on Share Album.

After you turn on the option to share an album, you’ll be able to invite people and decide whether or not they can add their own pictures, like your pictures, or even leave comments.

Privacy tips for Google Photos 

If you’re new to using Google Photos, all this might sound a little daunting, but as you use the app, there are a couple of privacy tips you can mind.

• Only share pictures with people you know.
• Check the Sharing settings on each album you create.
• Don’t upload pictures to Shared Albums from people you don’t know.
• Turn on Remove Geo-Location in Items Shared by Link.
• Turn off Google Location History in the Google Photos Settings.
• Occasionally check the Sharing settings on your account to keep things private.

Google Photos is a great service for your entire photo library. It’s easy to use and has some of the best tools for keeping your library organized. But like any other cloud service, you should be careful about what you sync and make sure you’re doing everything you can to keep your pictures and videos safe. That said, hopefully this article gave you some things to think about and helped give you the information you need to use Google Photos securely and confidently.

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