Photos (Apple) & Google Photos

[djr7572]

This is probably an easy fix and something I shoud be able to figure out, but I'm a little stumped. I want to be VERY careful here, as I don't want to risk losing all my photos.

So, a while back I created a Google One account to back up all my photos from Apple Photos - bascially so I could have all my photos backing up in two places. So, of course, now, when I take a photo on my iPhone it also goes into Google Photos.

I have now decided that I no longer want to use Google Photos and I only want to use Apple Photos. My question is, how do completely shut off the syncing process between Photos and Google Photos? Ultimately I'm going to shut down my current Google account, and obviously in that process, all the photos in Google Photos will be gone. What I DON'T want to happen, is for all my photos in Photos to disappear in that process too!

So, like I said, it would seem like what I need to do is turn off the syncing process between Photos and Google Photos. Is that even possible?

 

[djr7572]

Anyone?

 

[joggy]

The only way I am aware for any Apple product to sync to Google Photos is via the Google Photos iOS app. If you have that installed on your iPhone either delete the Google Photos app or turn off Back up & Sync in its settings.

 

[BrianBaughn]

Yeah…delete the app from your device.

 

[djr7572]

The only way I am aware for any Apple product to sync to Google Photos is via the Google Photos iOS app. If you have that installed on your iPhone either delete the Google Photos app or turn off Back up & Sync in its settings.

So, I turned off Backup & Sync on my iOS Google Photos app. But when I go to delete a photo in the Google Photos app, it also wants to delete the photo from ALL iOS devices - that’s where the problem is. I can’t figure out how to shut that off (maybe you can’t turn that off?).

I could just delete the Google Photos app from my phone … but at some point, I want to delete my current Google account (long story), which would in turn delete all the photos from the Google Cloud, and that is where I’m afraid I’ll also lose the photos in my Apple Photos.

 

[BrianBaughn]

Delete the "Google Photos" app from your phone. Go to the Google Photos website and download everything there. You can deal with consolidating those photos with any others you may have in whatever manner you choose. At that point, you can do whatever you want with your Google Account.

I have a lot of photos in Google Photos but the app is only taking a bit over 200MB of storage on my iPhone. I mention that because I think it illustrates that the only thing stored by GP is the thumbnails and/or very low resolution copies of photos…and this is all that will be deleted when you delete the app. The originals are in the Google cloud.

 

[HDFan]

If you value your photos you should implement a 3-2-1 backup stategy. That means backing up your photos to physical devices and keeping at least one of those in an offsite location.

 

[joggy]

I could just delete the Google Photos app from my phone … but at some point, I want to delete my current Google account (long story), which would in turn delete all the photos from the Google Cloud, and that is where I’m afraid I’ll also lose the photos in my Apple Photos.

Deleting photos from Google Cloud (i.e. Google Photos) will not result in losing anything in Apple Photos, the sync does not work like that. The Google Photos iOS app only syncs from your iOS device's Apple Photos to Google.

As @BrianBaughn also suggested, delete the Google Photos app from your iOS device(s) and you'll be all set. At that point the sync link is severed.

 

[djr7572]

Deleting photos from Google Cloud (i.e. Google Photos) will not result in losing anything in Apple Photos, the sync does not work like that. The Google Photos iOS app only syncs from your iOS device's Apple Photos to Google.

As @BrianBaughn also suggested, delete the Google Photos app from your iOS device(s) and you'll be all set. At that point the sync link is severed.

Ok, I *think* I'm starting to see this. So, by simply deleting the Google Photos iOS app, that in itself will sever the sync process? In other words, I like I think you said, syncing only happens through the iOS app (?)

Once the iOS app is deleted, would it then be safe to delete my Google account? Just don't want to delete my Google account (with photos still in Google cloud) only to find that now all my photos in Apple Photos are missing.

 

[djr7572]

If you value your photos you should implement a 3-2-1 backup stategy. That means backing up your photos to physical devices and keeping at least one of those in an offsite location.

yes, I'll be doing something like this as well. Thanks

 

[iterva]

Ok, I *think* I'm starting to see this. So, by simply deleting the Google Photos iOS app, that in itself will sever the sync process? In other words, I like I think you said, syncing only happens through the iOS app (?)

Once the iOS app is deleted, would it then be safe to delete my Google account? Just don't want to delete my Google account (with photos still in Google cloud) only to find that now all my photos in Apple Photos are missing.

Correct. Removing the app will sever the sync.

And yes, after doing that it is safe to remove your Google account. Just make sure before you do proceed that all your photos/files indeed are safe and where you want them to be.

2 things just to hopefully ease your mind a bit more:
Google Photos has a bin where deleted photos goes before being completely purged after 60 days. So even if you manage to delete some of your pictures when removing the app from your phone then those can be restored from the Google Photos bin.

And on IOS deleted photos goes to Recently deleted folder which gets purged after 30 days. As long as the photo was in local album and was deleted it should end up there.
So this should also provide you with a way to restore any deleted photos should something go wrong.

Google Photos - Delete or restore your photos
Apple - Delete photos

 

[djr7572]

Correct. Removing the app will sever the sync.

And yes, after doing that it is safe to remove your Google account. Just make sure before you do proceed that all your photos/files indeed are safe and where you want them to be.

2 things just to hopefully ease your mind a bit more:
Google Photos has a bin where deleted photos goes before being completely purged after 60 days. So even if you manage to delete some of your pictures when removing the app from your phone then those can be restored from the Google Photos bin.

And on IOS deleted photos goes to Recently deleted folder which gets purged after 30 days. As long as the photo was in local album and was deleted it should end up there.
So this should also provide you with a way to restore any deleted photos should something go wrong.

Google Photos - Delete or restore your photos
Apple - Delete photos

Appreciate your help, thank you!

 

[BrianBaughn]

Once the iOS app is deleted, would it then be safe to delete my Google account? Just don't want to delete my Google account (with photos still in Google cloud) only to find that now all my photos in Apple Photos are missing.

Delete your Google account how and/or from what?