Confusion about G+, G Photos and Drive

[AC Question]

Well, I've a big problem with this apps! Let me explain the situation.

I used to post pictures on G+ and some albums too like a regular post in facebook, just write something, select a picture and post, I have been doing that for a long time
Until now seems easy...
Next, Google Photos arrives!, when I take pictures I can see them on Google Photos, of course, it's a gallery! But when I delete a picture or make a backup, here's come the confusion...

1: When I delete a picture from Google Photos it is moved to the recycle bin... It's doesn't care if the backup option is off, the picture go to the recycle bin
Question 1: Where is the picture? Still in the phone? Like when you delete a picture on Windows? If I delete the picture from the recycle bin, why the picture is still on my "device folder"?

2: I decided to make a backup of my photos, I tried with one picture...
Question 2: Where Is the backup? In Google Photos? In Google Drive? If I delete a picture is the same story like in my question 1... I don't know if I'm deleting the picture from my device, from Google Photos or Google Drive...

3: If I go to Google Drive and then to the option "Google Photos" on the left (that's confusing... I was in the Google Photos picture before) I can see the picture that I backed up before... Is that the real back up?, but there is more! All my G+ pictures from each post, including the pictures from my albums and profile are there too!, are those pictures a backup too?
Question 3: The picture from my camera on Google Photos inside Google Drive, Is the real backup?, what about all my G+ pictures there too? Are they a backup or the original archive from my posts? If I delete some of those pictures are my post in G+ will be deleted too or the picture are just a copy?

I know is a lot, but well, I'm really confused!, and when I saw all my G+ pictures on Drive too I got more confused! I don't want those pictures there (unless if that are the original archive from G+, because I don't want to lose my posts from G+)

Thanks a lot!

 

[the tall guy]

Hi, let me try and explain it the way I feel it works as it was something that confused me for a while. Google + and Google Photos were once the same app. You could back up your photos to the cloud storage (Google Photos) and share them on Google +. Now Google have separated these apps. You now have a separate Google + app and a separate Google Photos app.

1) Google Photos isn't just a gallery; this is where your photos are backed up to. If you delete a photo from Google Photos it will go into the recycling bin, it will stay there for 60 days then it will be permanently deleted. You can locate your recycling bin by opening the app, swiping left to right to reveal the side menu and selecting Recycling Bin. In the bin you can remove pictures that were deleted by mistake or delete them permanently, if you don't want to wait the 60 days.

2) Google Drive doesn't really have anything to do with Google Photos. It depends on what device you have, for example, most Android devices come with a Gallery app and the Google Photos app. If you have a Nexus device, it will just come with the one Google Photos app. The way to look at it is; Google Photos is the cloud storage & the stock Gallery app is what pictures are on your device. If you have created a copy of your photo you might find it in the Gallery app and / or the Google Photos app. In the Google Photos app, swipe left to right, select "Device Folders" this will show you all the folders you have on your device. The cloud to the right of the pictures is an option for you to back up the folder. If you select the cloud and it changes blue, the folder is being backed up to Google Photos.
3) Within Google Drive, you have the option to “show your Google Photos” which basically means all the photos you have backed up to Google Photos can be easily accessed in your Drive. I disabled this feature as I didn’t want to see all my backed up Google Photos in my Drive. You can disable this feature in the Google Drive settings. If you delete a pic from Google Photos you are deleting it from your device and cloud storage. If you delete it from Google Drive, you are doing the same thing.
Hope this helps 

 

[Jeremias Bermudez]

Thanks buddy (I made the post but didnt realice I was offline), I got half and half of your explanation, but I'm still confused :S
I did some test today and maybe you can help me to understand the situation

I have a Nexus 5, its comes just with Google Photos
1: If I take a picture, and then go to the Google Photos app, the first thing I see is the picture I took before, with a llitle "crossed cloud" (the backup is off, of course), if I swipe to the left there is my "device folder" and the picture is there too.
*If I delete the picture from "my device" folder, the one in the "main gallery" (the one with the crossed cloud) will be deleted too.
*if instead I delete the picture from the "main gallery" with the crossed cloud, the picture will be send to the "recible bin", but will be still in "my device" folder...so, what is the fuction of that picture with the cossed cloud? its a copy inside Google Photos app?, because if I delete the picture with the crossed cloud (send it to the recicle bin) and then I go to "my device" folder and delete the picture too, and then go to the "recible bin" the picture will be there, and if I restore the picture, that one comes back to the "main gallery" but it doesnt come back to "my device" folder, and if you check it with other gallery app, the restored picture is not anywhere, just in the "main gallery" of Google Photos
That is maybe the thing that MOST confuse me!, seems like Google Photos has his own "offline backup" picture inside the app but I dont really get whats the objective of that "copy" (if it is really a copy...)

 

[the tall guy]

When you take a photo this happens:

1. Saved to device folder – picture is available to view in the “device folder” as it’s physically on the phone
2. Available for backup – picture is visible in the main gallery section with the grey cloud as it’s telling you “this pic is available to backup”

If you delete the photo from your device, this will remove the photo from the device folder and the main gallery section IF you haven’t backed the photo up. If you have backed the photo up (blue cloud) and you delete the photo from your device folder, it will still remain in the main gallery section as you've backed it up.

If you delete the photo from your device, it won’t be possible to recover the photo as you've deleted it. If you go into the recyclable bin and recover the photo – Google Photos must have some sort of “offline backup” as you said for the photo to be visible in the main gallery section.

If I were you I would either disable / or uninstall the Google Photos app and just download a 3rd party gallery app and use that lol

 

[Jeremias Bermudez]

Thanks a lot buddy!, seems that in fact, the Google Photos app has his own "offline backup" because when I cleaned the recycle bin I got a lot of space in my memory.
Now is almost clear haha, but I still have some doubts
Of course I use another gallery app, I use QuickPick from Xda (the last update from the original creator) but I want to understand how the Google ecosystem works because I like it and I want to use it

My other question is about how G+ works with Google Photos

I have been using Google+ the last two years, I post pictures and albums too; when I go to Google Photos, in the main gallery I can see ALL the pictures I uploaded to Google+, including the pictures from albums, all together organized by date, if I swipe to the left there's an option called "Collections" and there are my albums too.
So here is my question:
What are that pictures? Just a copy of the Google+ posts or are them the files that makes posts work?
Plus, if I go to Google Drive and then swipe to the left and select "Google Photos" there are my profile pictures too.

I wanted to delete all that pictures, but I'm not sure because I don't know what are that pictures actually, I'm "afraid" to delete them and LOST all my G+ posts!
I would like to keep the albums anyways, but Google Photos it's a kinda messy... It just put all the pictures together... And will be way better if pictures were organized by albums, including (and very important) the pictures that you backup from your phone camera.
What do you think about this?

 

[the tall guy]

Thanks a lot buddy!, seems that in fact, the Google Photos app has his own "offline backup" because when I cleaned the recycle bin I got a lot of space in my memory.
Now is almost clear haha, but I still have some doubts
Of course I use another gallery app, I use QuickPick from Xda (the last update from the original creator) but I want to understand how the Google ecosystem works because I like it and I want to use it

My other question is about how G+ works with Google Photos

I have been using Google+ the last two years, I post pictures and albums too; when I go to Google Photos, in the main gallery I can see ALL the pictures I uploaded to Google+, including the pictures from albums, all together organized by date, if I swipe to the left there's an option called "Collections" and there are my albums too.
So here is my question:
What are that pictures? Just a copy of the Google+ posts or are them the files that makes posts work?
Plus, if I go to Google Drive and then swipe to the left and select "Google Photos" there are my profile pictures too.

I wanted to delete all that pictures, but I'm not sure because I don't know what are that pictures actually, I'm "afraid" to delete them and LOST all my G+ posts!
I would like to keep the albums anyways, but Google Photos it's a kinda messy... It just put all the pictures together... And will be way better if pictures were organized by albums, including (and very important) the pictures that you backup from your phone camera.
What do you think about this?

Sorry about the delay buddy, I lost this post over the weekend and couldn't find it I don't really know much about the Google + photos as I never used the app, did you happen to find out any more info on it?

 

[Jeremias Bermudez]

Not problem!
I did some tests and I guess I "understand" how it works; when you post a picture on G+, Google Photos makes a copy of the actual picture, and if you delete the copy, the original post doesn't get affected, at least that is how new posts work, I didn't try with old posts, but I guess it should works the same way
I suppose that albums work the same way too, but I'm not sure, because like I said, I tried with a new post, but didn't try with a old one

I think I'm gonna keep the actual backups in Google Photos until be sure about how it really works with G+ posts and albums