Google photos sync/backup

[DotsFar]

Hello,

My wife have a problem with her Gmail account saying she is out of storage space.

We found out it is actually Google Photos that are taking up space, and when deleting a photo there, it is also deleted from the device, which is not what we want.

A solution we found by Google search is to disable backup/sync in the Photos app, and then delete foto's from the Google Photos website, which should keep them on the device.

BUT backup/sync is already disabled in the photos app, and still every new photo she take is copied to the sky... And deleting in the sky removes from the device.

Does anyone know if the backup/sync is setup somewhere else on the Sirocco ?

Best regards
Dennis

 

[B. Diddy]

First, go to Google Photos on the web, go to its Settings, and click Recover Storage. This will convert any photo that was backed up in Original Quality (i.e., the original resolution of the photo) to High Quality (which is essentially up to 16 megapixel quality, but the file gets somewhat compressed -- I've never been able to tell the difference). Anyone can get unlimited Google Photos storage if the photos are saved in High Quality, but unless you have a Pixel phone, any photos saved at Original Quality counts toward your Google Drive limit.

Recovering storage can take a while, depending on how many photos have to be converted. Once you're certain the process has finished, then go to the Google Photos app on the phone, tap Menu, and tap Free Up Space. Google Photos should know which of the locally saved photos have already been backed up to your Google Photos cloud, and will delete the local files only, leaving the photos in the cloud.

Also, in the Google Photos app settings, go to the Backup section and make sure you set it to back up as High Quality by default. Do this for any device that backs up photos to Google Photos (including your computer).

Keep in mind that any time you have a photo saved to the phone and also backed up to the cloud, you can delete the local copy (but save the cloud copy) by selecting the photo in the Google Photos app, tapping Menu, then Delete From Device. Don't use the garbage can icon -- that will put every instance of the photo in the Trash (both on the phone and in the cloud).