05.29.2021 22:May PM EDT
Google Photos Alternatives: Free Unlimited Storage Ends June 1, How to Backup and Set Up a Self-Hosted Service
As Google is set to end its unlimited free storage on Google Photos, we look at several alternatives if users will choose to switch.
Photo : Mario Tama/Getty Images
Google Photos is set to cease unlimited free storage starting June 1, and this left users somewhat in a limbo: do we shell out cash to continue enjoying the service or do we look for alternatives?
Google Photos has always been the default photo storage for many users since the tech giant offered the free service since 2015, and surely they have been satisfied with it, unless they decide to pick a nifty cloud service to migrate all their precious snaps, Laptopmag.com noted.
Deepak Singh | Published on 28 May 2021
Free unlimited lifetime storage for Photos was arguably one of the best Google services available. Users could choose to backup unlimited photos in “high-quality” for free or backup “original quality” photos against their allotted drive storage. But alas, all good things must end.
Come June 1, and Google will revoke the option for free “high-quality” uploading. It will also now change the name “high quality” to “storage saver”, which should be a better indication of the compressed nature of these images.
The reason for the abrupt change in policy is simple - free back-ups are costing Google a lot of money. According to the mountain-view giant, more than 28 billion photos are uploaded to Google photos every week, and it isn’t economically viable anymore to pile these on its servers for free.
Google Photos to Stop Unlimited Storage Feature, Best Alternative Plans Disclosed
Users will no longer be able to upload high quality photos to Google Photos for free. All photos uploaded in this manner will count toward your 15GB free Google Drive storage beginning June 15th.
| 27 May 2021 12:38 PM GMT
Users will no longer be able to upload high quality photos to Google Photos for free. All photos uploaded in this manner will count toward your 15GB free Google Drive storage beginning June 15th.
While 15GB may seem like a lot of space for images, keep in mind that the allotted Google Drive storage also includes backups from apps like WhatsApp and data from other Google apps like Gmail, both of which take up space.