Google Photos brings unlimited photo storage to iOS, Android

29 May 2015 - 17:34 By Joanna Stern
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Google’s new Photos app is available for Android, iOS and the Web.
Google’s new Photos app is available for Android, iOS and the Web.
Image: Google

Suddenly, tech’s biggest names want to organize your messy lifetime collection of photos. Google this week upped the ante against Apple with unlimited storage and some fun photo tricks.

At Google’s I/O developers conference, the company released its Photos app for iOS, Android and the Web. Like Apple’s recently launched Photos—so much for clever naming—it aims to provide a tidy home for every photo currently scattered across every device you own.

While Apple only provides 5GB of free iCloud storage for users, Google will offer free, unlimited cloud storage of photos and videos. There is a catch, of course. If photos are over 16 megapixels, they will be stored in a compressed format. You can also store full 1080p videos for free, though anything 4K would be downsized.

“We believe this is going to be a great option for 90 percent of users,” David Lieb, product lead for Google Photos, told me.

Photographers and videographers who want to secure every pixel can select the “original” option, which stores all files whole but requires premium Google Drive space. Google provides 15GB for free, and its cloud storage pricing is better than Apple’s: $10 per month gets you 1TB from Google, but only 500GB from Apple.

It’s not just free storage that will likely entice you to Google Photos. Once the app has sucked up the photos on your phone, tablet or computer (Mac and PC uploader tools will be available), you’ll be able to search for photos with simple keywords. It’s like your own personalized Google Image search. Looking for all the photos you’ve ever taken of your puppy? Just punch in “puppy.” Even more advanced searches like “kissing” returned accurate results in my early testing.

This new app replaces Google Plus Photos, but retains a few of its tricks. The service automatically turns clusters of similar photos into an animated GIF. It can also turn them into a collage or short highlights video. You can make your own by hand as well. There are new private sharing options, including a feature (similar to Apple’s) that lets you upload selected photos to a private site with a shareable link.

I’m impressed with the service so far, but how does it measure up to Apple’s solution when thousands of photos are involved? And what third-party alternatives should you also consider? I plan to have a full review next week.

 

This article was originally published on 28-05-2015 on The Wall Street Journal

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