Save Space on Your Android Device Using Google Photos to Backup Images
Edited by Jay, Alma, Maria Quinney
Most, if not all Android-powered devices can take a high-quality photo or video. That being said, there is a price to pay when you're in the habit of snapping up pictures like your device has unlimited storage. That price, of course, is having to constantly dump photos on your device to make space for new ones. Either you're plugging your phone into your computer often, or you end up with an unhealthy collection of USB drives. Both scenarios can become tedious and even annoying. Fortunately, with the help of Google Photos, we can now back up an unlimited number of video and photos any time we're connected to the internet. For the purpose of this article, we used a Samsung Galaxy S4 to illustrate the process.
Installing Google Photos app
Backing up photos and video on Google Cloud
- 1
- 2
- 3If you're prompted to choose a Google account, tap the account you prefer to backup with.Once inside backup & sync, review the settings below then tap the switch on.
- Tap "Backup device folders" to select the folders you wish to be uploaded to your Google cloud storage. By default, only the photos stored in the camera folder, are backed up.
- "Upload size" should be High quality (free unlimited storage).
- "Cellular data backup" allows you to backup and sync both video and photos, while using your device's data plan. Be careful here, uploading a lot of video and image files can eat up your monthly data very quickly.
- "When to back up" gives you the option to only back up while the device is charging or roaming.
- 4This can take up to a day, depending on your connection and how many photo/video files you've selected to backup.On the "Assistant" screen, you can see the backup in progress.
- If at any time you notice the backup progress stalling, check your internet connection and close and restart Google Photos.
- 5
Save space by deleting photos (automatic)
Before deleting photos or videos from your device, double check that they in fact uploaded to your cloud storage.
- 1Any folder that has a cloud with a line through it is NOT backed up.Open Google Photos and tap "Albums".
- You can check to see exactly which photos were uploaded to Google cloud by visiting your Google dashboard. Scroll down to your photo stats to see exactly how many photos you've backed up in addition to their privacy status.
Save space by deleting photos (manually)
Tips, Tricks and Warnings
- Always double check that your image and video files are backed up before deleting them from your device.
- If you have multiple folders for storing your images, add them to backup and sync.
If you take video and photos on a regular basis, the Google Photos app is an efficient way to ensure your device always has available storage. Be sure to leave backup & sync on and to choose the high quality (unlimited storage) option during setup.
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.