Submitted by Fred Straker on
Fans of Google services are not locked into using iCloud Photos to backup their images. Google Photos offers 15 GB of free storage and many features such as Google Lens, facial recognition, and image compression options. The iPhone can be configured to automatically upload pictures to Google Photos instead of the iCloud Photo Library.
If you don't already have a Google Photos account, set one up using the free Google Photos app. Then to convert your iCloud Photo Library over to Google Photos, follow these steps:
Copy your iCloud Photo Library to Google
- Navigate to the Apple Data and Privacy site
- Sign in with your Apple ID
- Click Request to transfer a copy of your data
- Select destination as Google Photos -> Choose Photos, Videos, or both
- Click Continue and sign in with your Google credentials
Turn off iCloud Photos
- On the iPhone, navigate to Settings -> Apple ID (your name)
- Tap iCloud -> Photos -> iCloud Photos -> OFF (grey switch)
- Also toggle My Photo Stream -> OFF (grey switch)
Sync iPhone photos with Google Photos
- Launch the Google Photos app
- Tap your profile at the top right corner
- Choose Google Photos Settings
- Toggle Backup & sync -> ON (blue switch)