Google decided to disable the automatic backup of photos and videos received through third-party applications, such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Twitter, for example.
The decision was made to reduce data traffic on the app during the new coronavirus pandemic, as it increased the number of media files sent to messengers during this period.
However, this change is not definitive and can also be changed manually by the user at any time. In this way, it is possible to reactivate the automatic saving of images received in the cloud from the Google application.
The procedure for this, in fact, is quite simple. Just open the Google Photos app and click on the icon with your photo in the top right corner. After that go to the option “Google Photos Settings and then click on Backup and Sync. The application will open a new options window and the last one should be “Back up device folders”. By opening this option, all image folders saved by third-party applications or created by the user will appear.
At the end of each folder line, there is a “toggle” to activate and deactivate synchronization. From then on, just select the desired folders to reactivate the backup of the images of each one. Folders with this blue “key” already have automatic backup enabled.
It is worth mentioning that Google Photos needs to be in its latest version available, so go to the Google Play Store to ensure that it is updated correctly.
Changes coming: Google Photos will no longer automatically back up certain apps
More and more news is coming to Google’s image storage service: Photos. Last week we already announced that it has gained several interface improvements and some new features. Now more refinements are being made to optimize the way these media are shown and how the app interacts with others on mobile.
The novelty will change some things mainly for new users or for those who install the app for the first time on a cell phone. That’s because a Google employee announced today that Photos will stop backing up images from folders in certain applications. Users will be notified of this change when it starts to take effect on their cell phones.
According to her, the decision was justified as follows:
“Due to COVID-19, people are sharing more photos and videos. To save Internet bandwidth, backup and synchronization have been turned off for device folders created by messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messages and Kik.”
The application’s message or help forum does not specifically detail, but Mishaal Rahman from the XDA forum says that the following applications will no longer be automatically backed up to Google Photos:
- Hello
- Line
- posts
- Messenger
- Snapchat
- Viber
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It is worth saying that images and videos backed up on the service will not be deleted or affected, if you wish you can simply re-enable automatic copying of them manually. It is worth mentioning that other applications have adopted similar measures before, such as YouTube, Netflix, and Instagram, which reduced the quality of their videos to avoid traffic overload on the network.
[appbox googleplay com.google.android.apps.photos]