Using Google account on iPhone for photo/video storage?

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gzt

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#322770 21-Sep-2025 14:34

Thinking of using a Google account on iPhone for photo/video storage.

The advice is install Google Photos to get that.

Does Google Photos try to take over the usual iPhone viewing and editing things? All I really want is the upload to storage.

lookout

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#3418628 25-Sep-2025 07:57

The native photos app remains the default. I use Google Photos for backups and occasionally to find older photos that I don’t have my current phone. Everything else I do in the native photos app. All my photos backup to iCloud and Google Photos with no issue.

MadEngineer

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#3418631 25-Sep-2025 08:33

iPhone. Nothing takes over anything.

I do exactly this, works better than perfectly. Best part is the search function which works better than the Apple photos app.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

JayADee

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#3418682 25-Sep-2025 09:20

I also use Google for photo storage and just keep some of my favourite pictures on my phone/icloud. Works fine.

Eva888

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#3418706 25-Sep-2025 11:39

Hmm maybe worth making a new Gmail account to use just for Google photo storage. Never thought of doing this and was just sticking to my main gmail account which keeps insisting my limit is nearing.

richms

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#3418727 25-Sep-2025 13:32

You are limited with how many you can create on each phone number you verify with. Seems to be 4 or 5.

If you do go down the path of getting a $1 skinny sim to create more, they will at some point force you to 2 factor with that number so you have to keep it active to be able to get back into the account. I have had no issues where they all get closed if one of the google drives gets done for copyrighted stuff in the drive, it has only just affected that single google account.

But at the end of it, messing around with multiple accounts is hassle, and the price for the 2TB is not absurd and that seems to be plenty for me for photos and other things.

Richard rich.ms

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#3418859 25-Sep-2025 22:25

You can set the backup quality to be slightly reduced and in return your photo backups don’t count towards the storage.

(*but then they’re not backups)

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.