Even though automatic backups are great, it sucks up space that could be used to manage your device’s storage efficiently. You can regain control too by disabling the auto-sync feature on Google Photos.
Here’s how to do it across different platforms:
On Android Devices
- Open Google Photos: Then you need to launch your app on Android device.
- Access Settings: On the top right corner of your profile page, tap.
- Navigate to Backup & Sync: Then “Photos Settings,” and when prompted, select “Backup & Sync.”
- Disable the Feature: Checkmark to the “Backup & Sync” option.
It will prevent new photos from uploading automatically so that the storage space is not used up.
On iOS Devices
- Open Google Photos: Now launch the app on iPhone or iPad.
- Access Settings: If you want, tap your profile picture in the top right corner.
- Navigate to Backup & Sync: Tap on the Photos Settings, Backup & Sync.
- Disable the Feature: Uncheck the “Backup & Sync” option.
If you don’t want automatic uploading of new photos from your iOS device, this should work.
On the Web
- Visit Google Photos: In your browser go to photos.google.com.
- Access Settings: Go to the top left and click the gear icon.
- Manage Syncing: Here you can’t directly control sync, but can set up or knock down visibility, as well as combine linked items.
Important Considerations
- Existing Photos: Turning off sync won’t delete the photos that are already backed up though, and you’ll still be able to access those photos in your Google Photos account.
- Manual Backups: And still you can manually upload the specific photos by enabling “Backup & Sync” temporarily.
- Alternative Storage: If you don’t want to use Google Photos as a backup, consider other storage solutions.
Doing so lets you effectively take care of your photo storage and keep your devices from generating automatic backups.