Life is unpredictable. One moment you’re snapping photos and having fun, then next moment you could be mourning over the loss of your phone or the lack of space to take photos on your trip. Maybe you’re simply looking for alternatives to Apple’s iCloud for backup space.
One solution to all these issues is Google’s cloud storage service for photos, Google Photos.
Google Photos Facts
Similar to iCloud photos, Apple’s cloud storage device, Google Photos allows you to upload and access your photos and videos safely and securely online. It allows you to access files from all of your devices, even if they’re not from Apple.
Google Photos takes cloud storage service up a notch by giving you unlimited storage for free for all your photos and videos, provided they’re compressed. You can always buy more storage from Google for your uncompressed photos and videos if the initial 15 GB isn’t enough.
Like on the iCloud, you can search for photos. But with Google’s better search capability, you’ll be able to find your photos faster. Your photos are organized, and you can search for photos using the places and the things that can be found in them. There’s no need for tagging. For example, you can type in “dog” to look for photos of your pupper.
Google Photos also gives you the freedom to collect all your photos with friends and family using its shared albums feature. Share your albums with anyone no matter what device they have. They only need to download the free Google Photos App.
Transferring Photos from Your iPhone to Google Photos
- Open the Apple App Store and download Google Photos.
- After downloading, open the app and allow Google Photos to access all your Photos.
- Decide if you want to allow the app to send you notifications—it’s all a matter of personal preference.
- You now have the option to Back Up and Sync and to choose the image quality you’ll be using to save your photos and videos:
- Optimized. To get free, unlimited photo and video storage, Google Photos needs to compress the files. If you’re only looking to backup files to get more space on this device, this is a good option.
- Original. You can still use Google Photos without having to compress your files, but you’ll be limited to 15 GB of free space. If you need more storage space, you’ll need to purchase more from Google.
To check if your photos are backed up
- Open Google Photos
- Sign in to your Google account.
- Tap the Photos icon (square with a mountain icon).
- At the top of the window, you’ll see the status that tells you if your photos have been backed up or not.
Google photos is a great alternative cloud storage service. You can access your photos from any device, even your laptop. But if your laptop isn’t up to it anymore, you can get cash for your laptop and purchase a newer model that can accommodate these services.