Google Photos Stops Backing Up Social Media Folders By Default - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Google Photos Stops Backing Up Social Media Folders By Default

by

google photos new icon black backgroundGoogle Photos has stopped backing up images and videos from folders created by social media and messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messages, and TikTok (via Android Police).

Previously, Google's photo app would automatically upload all media saved to an iOS device, including any files saved in folders originating from social and messaging apps.

Google says it's now turning off this aspect of its cloud photo backup service "to save internet resources" as people share more photos and videos amid the ongoing global health crisis.

Users can reverse this change and re-enable backup of photos and video from social media and messaging apps by following these instructions.

Other digital services including YouTube and Disney+ adopted similar measures to reduce bandwidth strain caused by the global health crisis several months ago.

Tag: Google Photos

Top Rated Comments

A
Anarchy99
77 months ago
am i the only one that hates the new google photos logo
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
69Mustang Avatar
69Mustang
77 months ago

I was just saying this morning to a friend how bloody aggressive this app is. I hate how if you try to delete uploaded media from the app, it will also delete it from ios photos too. And if you try to turn off app permissions to read and write, the app gets blocked from opening. My friend uses it to send me uncompressed media files which is the only reason I want to use it. But I’m very tempted to delete it.
It's aggressive because it sounds as if it's set that way. Turn off auto-sync and back up. ← That's what you're phone is doing... syncing and backing up. It's why both are being deleted. You don't need to turn off app permissions, just the auto-sync and back up function.


Could it be related to the fact that in IOS 14 such behavior may raise eyebrows as people realize how intrusive this is.
No it is not.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
G
genovelle
77 months ago
Could it be related to the fact that in IOS 14 such behavior may raise eyebrows as people realize how intrusive this is.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
G
Gsmaniac
77 months ago
I was just saying this morning to a friend how bloody aggressive this app is. I hate how if you try to delete uploaded media from the app, it will also delete it from ios photos too. And if you try to turn off app permissions to read and write, the app gets blocked from opening. My friend uses it to send me uncompressed media files which is the only reason I want to use it. But I’m very tempted to delete it.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

google photos wardrobe

Google Photos to Get AI 'Wardrobe' Feature

Wednesday April 29, 2026 3:50 pm PDT by
Google Photos is getting a new wardrobe planning feature that will help you decide what to wear. AI will pull in images of clothing from the Google Photos library, organizing clothing items into a digital closet. You will be able to put items together to create outfits, and even virtually try them with a digital avatar on to see how they'll look. The Google Photos app will show all items of...
Read Full Article • 35 comments
Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Tuesday May 26, 2026 6:32 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not launching until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component will be moved under the...
Read Full Article • 52 comments
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium

watchOS 27 Will Add These New Features to Your Apple Watch

Sunday May 24, 2026 11:53 am PDT by
Apple will unveil watchOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote on Monday, June 8, and a handful of new features have been rumored already. The first developer beta of watchOS 27 should be available immediately following the keynote, and a public beta typically follows in July. The update should be released to all users with a compatible Apple Watch model in September. Below, we recap watchOS...
Read Full Article • 59 comments