For years, the minimal amount of storage space on our iPhones has plagued the population. We are perpetually choosing between cherished family photos or the Facebook app. Luckily, several hacks exist to save storage space on your phone. A personal favorite of mine is the Google Photos app, available in the App Store and on Google Play. Here are some worthwhile features of the app:
1. It saves storage space: After downloading the app and connecting it to a Google account, your photos will be backed up any time you open the app—or in real time, if you choose to turn on the background app refresh. The app itself takes up minimal space, regardless of the amount of pictures that have been backed up. Despite having thousands of photos in my app, Google Photos only takes up about 140 MB. Thus, you’ll still have your pictures within reach without it taking up all 16G of storage space on your phone.
2. You have your own personal assistant: Anytime you back up your smartphone, the assistant option will ask if you’d like to move any old photos to the recently deleted folder in the iPhone photos app. You’ll have to clear your recently deleted folder, but once this task is complete, you’ll have freed up several gigs of data. Finally, that pesky pop-up will stop killing your vibe!
The assistant feature also works to contain the clutter in your photos by making organizational suggestions, such as archiving your screenshots or grouping together photos from the same time or the same place.
3. Your photos are readily available—anytime, anywhere: Because this is a Google app, your photos are linked to your account rather than to a phone. For example, if you made the decision to switch from iPhone to Android—and then you switch back to an iPhone—you would still have access to any photos that you backed up to the Google Photos app.
4. It allows you to create within the app: Google Photos allows you to create photobooks that you can buy, collages, animations, and slideshows. Sometimes, it creates animations that you didn’t even know you wanted. You also have the ability to edit your photos with filters and enhancements: Functions that used to take several different apps can now all be performed in one convenient place.
You can try the app for yourself by downloading it in the App Store or on Google Play.
What’s your favorite photos app for your phone? Let me know in the comments!