John Holguin
With the increasing use of smartphones, most of us rely on our mobiles to capture precious moments in the form of photos and videos. Keeping these memories safe is crucial, and cloud storage services like Google Photos have made it easier than ever to back up and access our media files.
When it comes to backing up photos on your iPhone, you might want to avoid cluttering your cloud storage with screenshots, memes, or downloaded images. If you’re specifically interested in backing up only your camera photos, Google Photos offers a simple solution. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to ensure that only your camera photos are backed up to your Google Photos account.
Step 1: Install the Google Photos App
If you haven’t already done so, start by installing the Google Photos app from the App Store on your iPhone. This app allows you to backup and access your photos and videos easily.
Step 2: Sign in to Your Google Account
Open the Google Photos app and sign in using your Google account. If you don’t have a Google account, you can create one for free. Once signed in, you’ll have access to all the features offered by Google Photos.
Step 3: Customize Backup and Sync Settings
In the Google Photos app, tap on the three-line menu icon located at the top left corner of the screen. From the menu, go to “Settings” and then select “Backup & sync.”
Note: Make sure your iPhone is connected to a stable Wi-Fi network to avoid using your cellular data for backups.
Step 4: Exclude Folders
Once in the “Backup & sync” section, you’ll find the option to exclude folders from being backed up. Tap on it to proceed.
Note: By default, Google Photos will back up all folders on your iPhone, including screenshots and downloads.
Step 5: Select “Camera” Folder
In the “Exclude folders” menu, scroll down and locate the “Camera” folder. To exclude all photos and videos from this folder from being backed up, tap on the switch next to it.
And that’s it! Now only your camera photos will be backed up to your Google Photos account. You can rest easy knowing that your precious memories captured through your iPhone’s camera are safe and easily accessible whenever you need them.
What is Google Photos?
Google Photos is a free cloud-based photo and video storage service provided by Google. It offers users the ability to back up and access their photos and videos from various devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers.
With Google Photos, users can upload and organize their photos and videos in a secure and easily accessible online platform. The service offers unlimited storage for high-quality photos and videos, with automatic compression to save storage space.
In addition to storing and backing up media files, Google Photos provides a range of features to enhance the user’s photo management experience. This includes the ability to search for specific photos based on keywords or objects, create albums and collages, automatically create movies and animations, and easily share photos and albums with others.
Google Photos also includes advanced editing tools, allowing users to enhance their photos with filters, adjustments, and special effects. The service also offers a “Rediscover this day” feature, which presents users with past memories from the same day in previous years.
Key features of Google Photos:
- Automatic backup: Google Photos can automatically back up all photos and videos on a user’s device, ensuring that no memories are lost.
- Intelligent organization: The service uses advanced algorithms to organize photos and videos based on people, places, and things.
- Powerful search: Users can search for photos using keywords, objects, or even specific faces.
- Collaboration: Google Photos allows users to easily share photos and albums with others, making it easy to collaborate on memories.
- Editing tools: The service offers a range of editing tools to enhance photos and videos, including filters, adjustments, and special effects.
Overall, Google Photos provides a convenient and user-friendly way to store, organize, and share photos and videos. Whether you’re looking to backup your camera photos or simply organize your digital memories, Google Photos is a great solution.
Why should you backup your photos?
Backing up your photos is crucial for several reasons:
- Preserving memories: Photos capture special moments in our lives, such as family gatherings, vacations, and milestones. By backing them up, you ensure that these precious memories are not lost due to device damage, theft, or accidental deletion.
- Protecting against hardware failure: Hard drives can fail, and smartphones can get lost or damaged. By regularly backing up your photos to cloud storage or an external storage device, you ensure that your photos are safe and accessible even if your device fails.
- Freeing up storage space: Photos and videos can take up a significant amount of storage on your device. By backing them up and removing them from your device, you free up space for new photos and apps, preventing your device from slowing down.
- Sharing and accessing photos easily: When you backup your photos, you can easily share them with friends and family. You can also access your photos from any device with an internet connection, allowing you to enjoy and share your memories wherever you are.
- Protecting against data loss: Accidental deletion, software glitches, or formatting errors can result in the loss of your photos. By having a backup, you can easily restore your photos and avoid the frustration of losing important moments.
Overall, backing up your photos is essential for preserving your memories, protecting against hardware failure, freeing up storage space, easily sharing and accessing photos, and safeguarding against data loss. It is a simple and effective way to ensure that your photos are safe and secure.
Step 1: Install and open Google Photos on your iPhone
To back up only your camera photos in Google Photos, you will first need to install the app on your iPhone. Follow the steps below to get started:
- Open the App Store on your iPhone.
- Tap on the search icon at the bottom right corner of the screen.
- Type “Google Photos” into the search bar and tap on the search button.
- Tap on the “Get” button next to the Google Photos app.
- Wait for the app to download and install on your iPhone.
- Once the installation is complete, tap on the “Open” button to launch the Google Photos app.
Now that you have installed and opened Google Photos on your iPhone, you can proceed to the next step to set up the app and back up your camera photos.
Step 2: Sign in to your Google account
To backup your camera photos in Google Photos on your iPhone, you need to sign in to your Google account. Follow the steps below to do so:
- Open the Google Photos app on your iPhone.
- Tap on the Menu button located at the top left corner of the screen. It is represented by three horizontal lines.
- Scroll down and tap on Settings.
- In the Settings menu, tap on Sign in to your Google Account.
- Enter your Google email address and tap on Next.
- Enter your Google account password and tap on Next to sign in.
- If you have two-factor authentication enabled for your Google account, you may be asked to verify your identity. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the verification process.
Once you have successfully signed in to your Google account, you can proceed to the next step to enable backup for your camera photos.
Step 3: Enable backup of camera photos
Once you have downloaded and installed the Google Photos app on your iPhone, follow these steps to enable the backup of camera photos:
- Open the Google Photos app on your iPhone.
- Sign in to your Google account or create a new account if you don’t have one.
- Tap on the three horizontal lines in the top left corner of the app to open the menu.
- Select “Settings” from the menu.
- Under the “Backup & sync” section, toggle the switch to the right to enable backup and sync.
- Make sure the “Upload size” option is set to “High quality” to get free unlimited storage for your photos and videos.
- Tap on “Back up device folders” to choose which folders you want to back up. Make sure the “Camera” folder is selected.
- You can also select additional folders if you have other photo or video folders on your iPhone that you want to back up.
- Once you have made your selections, tap on the back arrow in the top left corner to go back to the previous screen.
- Tap on “Photos on device” to view and manage the photos that are already on your iPhone.
Now that you have enabled the backup of camera photos, any new photos you take with your iPhone’s camera will be automatically backed up to your Google Photos account, providing you with a secure and convenient way to store and access your memories.
Step 4: Adjust backup settings
Now that you have installed the Google Photos app and linked it to your Google account, it’s time to adjust the backup settings to ensure that only your camera photos are backed up.
1. Open the Google Photos app on your iPhone.
2. Tap on the Profile icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
3. From the menu that appears, select Settings.
4. In the Settings menu, tap on Back up & sync option.
5. Here, you can enable or disable the backup and sync feature. By default, the backup and sync feature is turned on.
6. To set it up to only backup your camera photos, tap on the Upload size option.
7. From the options provided, select High quality. This option will not count towards your Google account storage limit.
8. After selecting the upload size, tap on the Backup device folders option.
9. In the list of folders that appears, locate the Camera folder and make sure the switch next to it is turned on.
10. If you have any other folders that contain photos you want to backup, you can also enable their respective switches.
11. Once you have made your selections, tap on the Back button in the top-left corner of the screen to save your changes.
Now, Google Photos will only backup your camera photos and any other folders you have selected. You can rest assured that your important memories are securely backed up in the cloud.
Choose backup quality
When backing up your camera photos in Google Photos on your iPhone, you have the option to choose the backup quality. There are two options available:
- High quality:
- This option allows you to store an unlimited number of photos and videos in Google Photos, as long as they meet certain criteria. Photos will be compressed to a smaller file size, optimizing storage space on your Google account.
- Photos and videos backed up in high quality will maintain good image and video quality, suitable for most users.
- However, it’s worth noting that if you print your photos or display them on larger screens, you may notice a slight loss in quality compared to the original.
- Original quality:
- This option allows you to store your photos and videos in their original quality, preserving every detail and ensuring no loss in quality.
- However, using original quality may consume a significant amount of your Google account storage, especially if you have a large number of photos and videos.
- If you have limited storage space on your Google account, this option may not be the most suitable for you.
It’s important to consider your needs and how much storage space you have available when choosing the backup quality for your camera photos in Google Photos on your iPhone.
Select backup folders
If you want to backup only your camera photos in Google Photos on your iPhone, you can select specific folders to be included in the backup process. Here is how you can do it:
Step 1: Open Google Photos app
Launch the Google Photos app on your iPhone by tapping on its icon.
Step 2: Go to settings
In the app, tap on the three-line menu icon located at the top left corner of the screen. This will open the side menu.
From the side menu, tap on the “Settings” option.
Step 3: Select “Back up & sync” option
In the settings menu, tap on the “Back up & sync” option. This will open the backup settings.
Step 4: Tap on “Choose folder to back up”
Scroll down in the backup settings until you find the “Choose folder to back up” option. Tap on it to proceed.
Step 5: Select camera folders
In the “Choose folders to back up” screen, you will see a list of folders available on your device. Look for the folder(s) that contain your camera photos and tap on them to select them for backup.
Once you have selected all the desired camera folders, tap on the “Back up & sync” toggle switch located at the top right corner of the screen to enable the backup for the selected folders.
That’s it! Now only your camera photos will be backed up in Google Photos on your iPhone. Any photos in the selected camera folders will automatically be uploaded to your Google Photos account for safekeeping.
Step 5: Start backup process
Now that you have selected the albums and folders containing your camera photos, it’s time to initiate the backup process. Follow the steps below to start backing up your camera photos:
- Open the Google Photos app on your iPhone.
- Sign in with your Google account if you haven’t already.
- Tap on the three horizontal lines at the top left corner of the screen to open the menu.
- From the menu, select Settings.
- Under Library, tap on Back up & sync.
- Toggle the switch next to Back up device folders to enable it.
- Tap on the Back up device folders option to see a list of folders.
- Make sure the albums and folders containing your camera photos are selected. If not, enable the toggle switches next to them.
- Once you have selected the desired folders, tap on the Back up & sync button at the bottom of the screen to start the backup process.
Depending on the number of camera photos you have, the backup process may take some time. You can monitor the progress by checking the notification panel or by going back to the app’s settings and tapping on Back up & sync. Once the backup is complete, you can access your camera photos on any device with Google Photos installed.
Step 6: Monitor backup progress
Once you have set up the backup process for your camera photos in Google Photos on your iPhone, you can monitor the progress to ensure that all your photos are safely backed up to the cloud.
To check the backup progress, open the Google Photos app on your iPhone. Tap on the three horizontal lines in the top-left corner to open the menu. From the menu, select “Settings”.
In the Settings menu, tap on “Back up & sync”. Here, you will see the backup progress displayed as a percentage. If the backup is still in progress, you will also see an estimated time remaining.
If you want to speed up the backup process, you can connect your iPhone to a Wi-Fi network with a faster internet connection.
It is important to periodically check the backup progress to ensure that all your camera photos are being backed up properly. This will give you peace of mind knowing that your precious memories are safely stored in the cloud.
Step 7: Access your backed up camera photos
Once you have successfully backed up your camera photos to Google Photos on your iPhone, you can easily access them from any device with an internet connection. Follow these steps to access your backed up camera photos:
Step 1: Open the Google Photos app on your iPhone.
Step 2: Sign in to your Google account if you haven’t already.
Step 3: Tap on the “Photos” tab at the bottom of the screen.
Step 4: Your backed up camera photos will be displayed in chronological order. You can scroll through all your photos or use the search function to find specific ones.
Step 5: Tap on a photo to view it in full screen.
Step 6: You can edit, delete, or share your camera photos directly from the Google Photos app. Simply tap on the respective icons at the bottom of the screen.
Pro tip: Use the “Albums” tab to organize your camera photos into custom albums for easier access and navigation.
Congratulations! You have successfully backed up and can now easily access your camera photos using the Google Photos app on your iPhone.
Step 8: Delete camera photos from iPhone storage (optional)
If you have successfully backed up all your camera photos to Google Photos, you may consider deleting them from your iPhone storage to free up space. However, before proceeding with the deletion, make sure you have double-checked that all your photos are safely backed up in Google Photos.
To delete your camera photos from iPhone, follow these steps:
- Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
- Navigate to the “Albums” tab at the bottom of the screen.
- Scroll down and tap on the “Camera Roll” album.
- Tap on “Select” in the top right corner of the screen.
- Choose the photos you want to delete by tapping on them.
- Tap on the trash can icon at the bottom right corner of the screen.
- Confirm the deletion by tapping on “Delete [number of selected photos]”.
Once you have completed these steps, the selected camera photos will be deleted from your iPhone storage. However, please note that deleting photos from your iPhone will not remove them from Google Photos unless the “Free up space” option is enabled in the Google Photos app settings.
It is always a good practice to regularly back up and delete photos from your iPhone to ensure you have enough storage space for new memories and experiences.
Question-answer:
Can I backup only the camera photos in Google Photos on my iPhone?
Yes, you can backup only the camera photos in Google Photos on your iPhone. To do this, you need to enable the “Backup & sync” option in the Google Photos app and make sure that the “Include camera photos” option is selected. Once this is done, all the photos taken with your iPhone’s camera will be automatically backed up to your Google Photos account.
