Remove photos from phone but not Auto Backup

[Jett84]

Hi folks,

I've got a Nexus 5 running Lollipop 5.1. How do I delete photos from my synced folders in my phone but have them stay in the Photos app under Auto Backup? It used work when I deleted the photos through my file explorer app but now they get deleted from Photos, too. I've also read to do it from within the Photos app by selecting Folders from the slide-out menu, and deleting them there but I get the same results.

Please help!

Thank you in advance.

 

[itguyjax8430]

Hi folks,

I've got a Nexus 5 running Lollipop 5.1. How do I delete photos from my synced folders in my phone but have them stay in the Photos app under Auto Backup? It used work when I deleted the photos through my file explorer app but now they get deleted from Photos, too. I've also read to do it from within the Photos app by selecting Folders from the slide-out menu, and deleting them there but I get the same results.

Please help!

Thank you in advance.

You should still be able to do it from your file explorer. Just make sure that the photos are backed up to your Google + Photos online before doing the delete.

 

[Jett84]

I guess my issue is a bit more specific. I have the Google Photos app set to auto-backup my Downloads folder. If my wife sends me a pic of the kids via Hangouts and I save it, it ends up in Downloads. That folder is synced and I eventually get the notification telling me my photos have been backed up. Now, when I remove them as I described above, they vanish from the Auto Backup section until I restore them from the Trash, thus still taking up space on my device. If I remove them directly from a file explorer app, they're gone altogether and obviously can't be restored from Trash.