Transition from Google Photos to iCloud

[JackWilhelm]

Hey everyone! I'm in the process of moving my Google Photos library over to iCloud and have a few questions (I'm on a Surface Pro 4 if that helps at all)

I used the Google "Takeaway" feature that archived all of my photo library to download in chunks. About 1/4 of my photo library is filled with scans of old photos from the 80's and 90's, which I then manually changed the dates for in Google Photos to organize them chronologically. However, their metadata in the archived files are not actually changed. They simply sit in a folder with the date they were changed to. So, what I'm working with is a folder named "09-16-1996" where the photos actually sitting in the folder are dated "02-14-2014" (the date they were scanned).

Is there any way to have iCloud recognize the date of the folders these photos are sitting in, instead of the metadata for the photo files? I just don't want to have to go through thousands of photos and manually change the dates simply to transfer my library over. Or, if there is a program that could do this for me, I'd love to hear it. Thank you for the help!

 

[mritech]

Well you can get the “Metapho” app for the app store for a one time fee and bulk modify the dates on an Apple device once you’ve imported to iCloud. But also what I would suggest is to do one folder at a time then change the metadata.

Or what you could do is use the web based iCloud.com site and import and upload that way and those folders that you named by date you
can make albums for in the photos app to keep them separate. The Metapho app is like 4 bucks for unlocking the full features.

Good luck I’m curious to see how you go about this and how it goes

 

[atoqir]

I did the same thing a while back.

Downloaded all photos from the Google Photos website and then tried to create an empty album in the iCloud.com website to keep them organized.

The upload was a very long and tedious process with a lot of errors and retries because of errors or the site stopped responding. Also upload speeds are atrocious.

I am doing a 6 month experiment going full on in iCloud/Apple Music. I will probably return to Microsoft or Google. I have to use a Windows laptop for work and have a Windows gamer-PC at home. So far iCloud and Apple Music are not a good experience with Windows or my home appliances like a Bose SoundBar700, LG OLED TV and PlayStation 4. It only works great on my iPhoneX and iPad...

 

[Tech198]

I did the same thing a while back.

Downloaded all photos from the Google Photos website and then tried to create an empty album in the iCloud.com website to keep them organized.

The upload was a very long and tedious process with a lot of errors and retries because of errors or the site stopped responding. Also upload speeds are atrocious.

That's probably the best,, not always 100% free approach.... But it works... When you use an app to do the job, you still need to double-check, so cut-out the middle man and do the long process yourself.... At least you'd only have to check [once] ,not [twice]

Sometimes automated processes work, but if if you gotta check it again after anyway, why bother wasting time? Automated process i always find "must check".. If i do it myself, i rarely need to double check.

 

[Razeus]

Forget Google Takeout. Do this:

Using the Google Photos app. Just select your photos (up to 500 at a time) and click the 3 little dots and select "download". This will put the photos on your phone with timestamps intact.

Then make sure iCloud Library is turned on so it can begin the upload process.

 

[MyAppleWorld]

Forget Google Takeout. Do this:

Using the Google Photos app. Just select your photos (up to 500 at a time) and click the 3 little dots and select "download". This will put the photos on your phone with timestamps intact.

Then make sure iCloud Library is turned on so it can begin the upload process.

I have found that using your phone storage and iCloud library enabled is the best way of transferring from 1 service to another - keeps all quality and Live Photo’s intact

 

[dabe_glavins]

Forget Google Takeout. Do this:

Using the Google Photos app. Just select your photos (up to 500 at a time) and click the 3 little dots and select "download". This will put the photos on your phone with timestamps intact.

Then make sure iCloud Library is turned on so it can begin the upload process.

Man, unfortunate that this really is the only way to migrate photos and keep dates in tact. I tried just doing the Google Takeout export and dumping all my photos in, only to realize a few weeks later that a ton of my photos had the same date..... Now I'm doing your recommended process and relying on iCloud's duplication-detection feature to pick out the duplicates so I can delete the one with the wrong date... I have no idea how else I'd fix this otherwise (considering SOME of the exported photos kept their timestamps, and I now have even more photos mixed in from after I did the takeout).

In the end, another point towards making me feel better about ditching google photos!