▷Google Photos 🥇

Free license

Google Photos

With Google Photos back up your photos online and sync them for safekeeping.

21/12/2021
1245 All specs

Play Store

40 365 639

App Store

25 869

Download Free version

Android
iOS iPhone / iPad
Online service All Internet browsers

Summary:

Why use Google Photos?
How do I download, install and use Google Photos?
What's new in the latest version of Google Photos?
What OS is Google Photos compatible with?
What are the best alternatives to Google Photos?

Description

Google Photos is Google's free photo and video storage service. He replaces Picasa since 2015. It is accessible on a computer from any web browser, or for download as an Android and Apple application.

The storage is therefore free, within the limit of 15 GB (free Google Drive space), if you save your photos in normal quality (that of your camera), or without limit if they are in high quality (16 megapixels). For this second case, it is Google's compression algorithm that reduces them for you, you do not have to do any specific manipulation other than choosing the type of quality in your settings. Note that as of June 1, 2021, cloud storage will no longer be free and unlimited, but limited to 15 GB for free. To obtain more space, it will not be necessary to take a subscription. To learn more, see our article on Free and Unlimited Google Photos Storage: The End is Near.

Google Photos includes an Assistant, which allows you to relive moments spent on the same date in previous years, which alone creates albums of outstanding moments in life, and applies a style to certain photos automatically. It is also possible to use Google Photos to improve its images, the Automatic filter quickly allows you to apply the best color and brightness settings to highlight all the shots.

To note that Google Photos is not a gallery manager to manage photos / videos on your smartphone, for this Google has developed another complementary application: Galerie Go.

Why use Google Photos?

Using Google Photos means creating an automatic backup of all the photos you take with your smartphone. In our ultra technological era where smartphones take a decisive place in our lives and where their photo lenses are more and more sophisticated, users accumulate an incredible number of photos on their device. So there is always the risk of taking these photos if the device is damaged or even stolen.

Google Photos therefore offers a very simple solution that will allow you to secure your photos, and even to create space on your mobile device (photos are very greedy). Its operation is very simple, you just need to download and install it on Android so that it is automatically linked to your Google Drive account (thanks to your Google ID). On Apple, you will also need to identify yourself with your Google account.

Once saved in the cloud space, the photos remain accessible via an internet connection directly in Google Photos. You can therefore delete them from your device with complete peace of mind. To find out if the synchronization is finished, you just have to click on your avatar in the application and the synchronization progress will be displayed (this may take time depending on the number of photos, but especially videos, that there are to transfer).

Google Photos exists in mobile version but the platform is also accessible from a computer (Windows, Mac, Linux) thanks to a online service that can be opened from any browser.

This means that once your backups and synchronizations have been completed, you will have access to your photos anywhere and anytime from any device (provided you have an internet connection). You can also download any photo locally at any time (to modify it for example from photo editing software.

How do I download, install and use Google Photos?

Installation

You can download the application on Android or iOS from our links (which will take you directly to the corresponding store), then you just have to click on install, and that's it.

Once the installation is complete, it detects all the folders on your Android or iOS mobile device (smartphone, tablet, iPhone, iPad), and in particular the camera folder. When you start Google Photos for the first time, you will be asked if you want to enable automatic backup of your photos (you can change this setting at any time later).

Google Photos

When you choose to make the backup, the application will then ask you for the type of quality chosen. At this point you have two possibilities: the high which slightly compresses the files so that they take up less space while maintaining good quality (16 megapixels, sufficient for paper prints up to 40x60cm), or original which keeps your pictures as they are (within the limit of your camera's resolution), they then take up more space (if they are really more than 16 megapixels). Be careful, because the choice of quality will affect the cloud storage of your photos. Indeed, in high quality the storage is completely free without limit until May 31, 2021, while in original quality the storage is deducted from your Google Drive account (15 GB free, then paid subscription for more). The choice is basically up to you, how you back up your photos (are you backing up to your PC?), The quality of your photos, and the quality you want to keep. From June 1, 2021, free cloud storage space will be limited to 15 GB regardless of the quality of the backup.

Once this choice has been made, you will have one more parameter to adjust before the backups start. This parameter is the type of connection to save files. By default Google Photos only performs backups when your device is connected via WiFi, this avoids using too much mobile data. Depending on your package, you will have to prefer this mode of transfer at all costs. But you can also force the setting so that it uses mobile data for your backups in the absence of WiFi, to be used sparingly therefore depending on the type of plan of your device. This setting can also be changed later and can even be supplemented by adding roaming (when you are abroad, again be careful with your package).

Google Photos

Now that you have set up the backup and sync of the photos you take with your device, know that Google Photos also allows you to back up all the photos and images on your smartphone. So if you are often sent photos by SMS, Facebook, or Whatsapp, etc., all you have to do is configure the application so that they are also saved. You have several options for this: either the app directly offers you to choose the folders when launching (thanks to the automatic detection of folders), or you can go through the wizard (icon at the bottom of the screen), or you can do this from the settings (three-line icon at the top left) or from the album menu.

The interface and menus of Google Photos mobile

The application benefits from a clear and simple interface, easy to understand even for users unaccustomed to technological tools.

When you open Google Photos, you arrive on the home screen, this is the main screen named Photos. This screen is divided into several parts.

At the top left is an icon in the shape of a balloon, this is where you will find the screen of Follow us!. Contrary to what its name seems to indicate, this is not where you will share your photos. No here you will actually find the albums and photos that have been shared with you. You will therefore be able to access the albums in which you participate (in which you have added photos) but also to those which have been shared with you just for reading. In this list you will also see your own shared albums appear, which unfortunately has the effect of making the display heavy. Unfortunately, this list cannot be sorted and the albums appear in the order of the date they were shared.

At the top right you will see your avatar, by clicking on it you can choose the account displayed, check that the backups are complete, the possibility of subscribing to benefit from more space, access to settings, free up space, etc. The shortcut Free up space offers you to delete files that have already synced to the cloud, so you don't have to worry about what's already backed up.

The settings General Google Photos can also be accessed from your avatar: setting backup and synchronization, managing notifications, allowing face recognition, assistant suggestions, managing memories (which happened the same day) , SD card management, sharing of the complete photo library, location of photos, etc.

Just below this area you have the part Souvenirs (which makes you relive the same date 1 year, 2 years ago, 3 years ago, etc.). If you click on one of the thumbnails it will open a slideshow of photos from previous years, read one after the other, with the possibility of sharing them. You can cancel the slideshow at any time by clicking on the three small dots (bottom right) to display all the photos of the day concerned (this brings you back to the home screen but directly to the right date).

You then have access to the list of photos. Photos are sorted by date they were taken (for those taken by the camera) or by upload date (for photos in your other folders). It is possible to quickly navigate between the dates, for that, start going down on the page (by sliding up) and you will see a double arrow button appear on the right side, pull it down and you will see the months and years.

Finally, at the bottom of the screen you will see a small menu of 3 entries, this is the main menu, it contains: Photos (the home screen), Search, and Collection.

The different screens of Google Photos mobile

We have already seen Photos, since this is the home screen.

The menu screen research offers you a whole series of options. You can search by people (thanks to the easy recognition of Google), by places (if your photos are geotagged), by themes (again a Google recognition tool that recognizes birthdays, castles, lakes, skiing, Christmas, etc.), via your activity (your favorites or recent additions) and finally by categories and creations. In the categories you will find screenshots, selfies, videos, etc. In the creations you can sort by Animations, Montages (collages) or films.

Menu screen collection is the most comprehensive of all. You will find there: the photo book store, favorites, archives, suggestions, the recycle bin and albums. You can ccreate albums beautiful photos from your snapshots, this allows you to group together any photos you want (just like you would in a physical album), and then you can share them with whoever you want.

From the menu collection, you can also manage the archives. Archives are photos that you don't always want to have on the Home screen. If you archive them they will always be visible in the albums where you put them, as well as in the search results. However, they will no longer appear on the screen. Photos and cannot be used to make films and animations.

This menu also gives you access to the Basket. The Recycle Bin is where photos end up when you delete them. It acts as a buffer and allows you to recover photos and videos in the event of an error. Snapshots and videos are permanently deleted after 60 days. You can restore them or permanently delete them by hand.

The old menu For you is replaced by " Helpful Suggestions ". It is in fact the assistant. You will find on this screen small practical tools, but also the entries of the automatic assistant. At the top of the screen the area is called Create. It allows you to create a film from photos or videos (either manually or via automatic themes and automatic music), a photo montage also called collage (it's automatic with few parameters available) or an animation (slideshow of the photos of your choice). You will also be able to access shortcuts to archive photos and free up space.

From there you can manage the device folders, and in particular choose which ones you want to save or not. When you open this menu the list of folders appears. Folders with a crossed out cloud icon are not saved to your cloud account, to change this you just need to select them.

Regarding sharing in general you can share your photos individually. When putting the photo on the screen the share button appears at the bottom, or a album. In this case click on the three small dots at the top right to bring up the menu and click on share. You can share with whoever you want and by the media of your choice (mail, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, etc.). People you share and who open the file or album with their Gmail account will also be able to access it through Google Photos (on the Share screen). In the case of albums, users you've shared them with who have a Google Account will also be able to participate by adding photos.

How do I use Google Photos online?

You can open the online version of the platform directly through our link. If you are already logged in to your Google account, the site will open directly on your photos, otherwise you will have to log in.

Google Photos

The interface strongly resembles that on mobile, but with, inevitably, more photos at the same time. In addition, access to the various areas is via a vertical menu on the left, it offers the same access as the application: Photos (home), Sharing, For You, Photo Book. You will also see a sub menu named Photo Library with direct links to: Albums, Useful Suggestions, Archives and Recycle Bin. It all ends with a storage space usage indicator.

All the settings are exactly the same as on your other devices. You will be able to access all the photos that have been synchronized from your portable devices. You can also make backups of photos on your computer by clicking on Import.

From the reception, if you slide your mouse cursor to the right, you will see the chronology appear which will allow you to directly reach a given date.

The operation is therefore completely identical to that already seen for the other devices.

What's new in the latest version of Google Photos?

In June 2021, Google Photos changes visuals. First of all with a redesign of its icon, which becomes simpler and more rounded. But this is not the only novelty to take into account.

First of all, the main menu is simplified, so there are only three entries: Photos, research, Bookcases. The first always corresponds to the reception, but with enlarged thumbnails. The following allows you to perform a research in the middle of your photo library with in particular the search by geolocation: the photos appear on a Google Maps type map. Access to the Bookcases allows you to see all your albums, folders, favorites, archives, trash, etc.

In addition, sharing has been moved to an icon accessible at the top left, where the settings menu was in the previous version. This menu is now available at the very bottom in the form of a drawer.

January 2021 sees the appearance of a major novelty in Google Photos, it is the complete overhaul of the interface of the application for Android tablets! In fact, until now, tablets had the same interface as smartphones, which is a shame given that the screen size is not the same. This new interface will be much closer to the web version with a disappearance of the menu bar at the bottom in favor of a side menu on the left and a search bar at the top of the screen. The new features have not yet been rolled out to everyone, but it will be happening in the coming weeks.

Since February 2021, Google has been integrating photo editing functions into Google Photos not only for Pixel smartphone owners but also for all Google One subscribers. To learn more, read our article: Google Photos: New Editing Tools for Google One Subscribers.

Google Photos continues its momentum and offers you since its update in April 2021, new functions to its video editor, directly accessible in its interface. The existing tools are still present, but you will also have a cutting tool, a stabilizer and a rotation option. You will be able to straighten the horizon line and perspective, remove audio, and export precise frames from video. Color correction and annotation addition systems are supported.

Google Photos keeps improving to become versatile and essential. With the April 2021 update, the service now allows you to create and edit an album, even if you are offline. All information and new data will then be synchronized as soon as the internet connection is reestablished. The internal search engine is enriched with 3 filters: people, animals and places.

To find out more, read our article: Google Photos: an offline mode already available and even more precise searches on the way

Note that from June 1, 2021, free and unlimited cloud storage will no longer exist. The storage space will be limited to 15 GB, regardless of the quality of the photo. To prepare for it and save storage space, Google Photos includes a new automatic blurry photos removal tool. Named Blurry Photos, this tool automatically detects blurry images and removes them. Screenshots and excessively long videos can also be identified and offered for use for permanent removal.

Find our file: End of unlimited storage on Google photos, what alternative solutions?

December 2021: Google photos implements a special folder to protect your important photos. If you still have a photo of your identity document or your gray card in your smartphone, Google photos now allows you to store them in a secure folder that can only be opened with your fingerprint or with a code.

What OS is Google Photos compatible with?

For Android users you can download and install directly from the Google Play Store (via our link).

If you are Apple oriented, know that it is available for iOS from 11.0 for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

The online service can be accessed from any computer (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.) and any internet browser.

What are the best alternatives to Google Photos?

For data backup and synchronization there are many alternatives that offer cloud storage like Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, etc. But they have no specificity for the images.

In reality, few free alternatives exist.

The closest alternative is called Piwigo. You will have access to cloud hosting for all your photos and videos. This accommodation is chargeable. If you want to host your files yourself on your own PHP / MySQL server you can directly download the software for free. Applications are also available for transfer via mobile.

Flickr is an alternative for saving and synchronizing your photos, free. Above all, the platform offers to share your photographs with members of the community in public or in private, sharing has never been so easy. You can upload both photos and videos. You can install the mobile application and set up a synchronization of your pictures. Flickr is free up to 1 photos, a paid offer is also available.

Photobucket offers to save your photos on its cloud but also offers tools to retouch them. Available on portable device and for Windows. The platform is, on the other hand, paid.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, also paid, also offers not only hosting, but also tools for managing your photos as well as creation.

You can also consult our file: End of unlimited storage on Google Photos, what alternative solutions?

Specifications

Play Store

40 365 639

App Store

25 869

Last update December 21, 2021 License Free license Downloads 1245 (last 30 days) Author Google Inc. Operating systems Android, iOS iPhone / iPad, Online service All Internet browsers Categories Photo, Entertainment