It is an open secret that the iPhone storage fills up quickly as you download new apps. Your iPhone’s camera rolls are one of the biggest space-hogging elements. Shortage of storage space can slow down your device, or worse, prevent it from performing even the most basic of tasks. If you’re dealing with the issue of limited storage, expand it now using Google Photos.
Google Photos is an Internet-based image storage and backup solution. You can use Google Photos to automatically backup your iPhone’s photos and videos to the cloud with ease.
The biggest selling point for Google Photos is unlimited cloud photo storage. Why bother paying for an iCloud subscription when you can store unlimited photos for free with Google? In the free plan, you can store as many photos as you want in the highest quality. However, the catch here is that Google compresses your photos to preserve space. If you don’t like the idea of compressing your original photos, go with the Original setting that saves photos in their original quality, which count against your account’s storage.
Google Photos automatically creates backups of photos from the selected folder(s). These photos are accessible from any supported device- iPhone, Mac, Windows PC, Android, and tablet. You can also view your photos on the web by simply logging onto Google Photos.
Another smart aspect of Google Photos is the usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms. Yes, you read it right. Google Photos makes it possible to automatically detect faces and objects from your photos. This can be a great help to search and organize your photos quickly. You also get basic photo editing, cropping and filtering support as well.
Download and Set Up Google Photos Backup
You can download Google Photos from the App Store. Once you’ve downloaded and installed the app, launch it from the home screen.
For the first time, Google Photos app will need permissions to access photos and videos stored on your iPhone. Tap OK the app will now load shortly. Alternatively, you can open your phone’s Settings and head over to Privacy. Select the Photos category, tap Google Photos and allow the required permissions.
Next, you’ll now need to provide your Google account credentials. Log-in to the Google account you want to use for automatic photo backups. Make sure to select the right account. This is because Google will use your account’s storage quota in the case you choose Original photo quality over High quality. Worry not, you can switch over to other Google Photo accounts with a single tap, at any time. This is a great feature that is currently not offered by iCloud.
Now that you’ve already logged-in, Google Photos will keep a track of all the recent snaps on your device and show them onto the main screen. You can quickly locate a photo of your choice using the AI-integrated Search feature and enjoy fast scrolling. Just pinch your photos once to enlarge or shrink them, as you wish.
Now tap the Menu icon and select Settings. This will bring up different settings on the screen. Tap Backup & Sync and make sure that this feature is already turned ON. If not, turn it on yourself.
That’s it, you have successfully installed and set up Google Photos backups on your iPhone.
Bonus Tip
It is a good practice to regularly check whether your photos are successfully backed up or not. Depending on your iPhone’s battery optimization settings or poor Wi-Fi connection, Google Photos may sometimes run into trouble scheduling automated backups. Check your last backup status to save yourself from unexpected data disasters in case your iPhone is stolen or it gets bricked forever.
Open the Google Photos app and log-in to your account. Tap your profile picture on the upper right corner. Google Photos will show when the last successful backups were completed, or whether any unfinished backups are scheduled. Make sure that your backups are up-to-date.
Raza Ali Kazmi works as an editor and technology content writer at Sorcim Technologies (Pvt) Ltd. He loves to pen down articles on a wide array of technology related topics and has also been diligently testing software solutions on Windows & Mac platforms.