Google Photos and privacy: How to keep your photos safe

  • June nine, 2020

Google Photos is an incredibly useful app, especially if you're learning to shoot on iPhone. Not just does it take some of the best organizational tools for your pictures and videos, but it also offers unlimited cloud storage for your entire photo library for free. Just how can it be gratis? Does that mean it isn't safe? Is Google going to use the pictures I upload? Keep reading for a deep swoop into how private Google Photos for iPhone really is and what steps yous tin take to assist protect your privacy.

Is storing and sharing with Google Photos rubber?

There'southward an obvious business whatsoever time yous upload your pictures to a service on the net, and you should exercise that aforementioned level of concern when you upload to Google Photos. Even though Google goes to great lengths to secure their services, there's always a chance of vulnerability and the risk that someone could go access to your pictures and videos.

All this is to say that you should be cautious and use mutual sense with sensitive pics or videos before you lot upload them to Google Photos.

Mobile banner: Download Gemini Photos and clean up before uploading to Google Photos
Desktop banner: Download Gemini Photos and clean up before uploading to Google Photos

Are Google Photos private?

The elementary reply is yep; by default, Google Photos is private. Everything you upload can but be seen by you. And thankfully, the merely manner to change one of your photos' permissions is to log in to your business relationship and share your photos with another user.

Tin can someone get access to my photos?

The only manner someone tin access your photos in Google Photos is if yous choose to share them with that person. Merely proceed in mind that when you share a picture with someone, Google Photos sends them a link. While it is unlikely that someone else volition gain access to that link, if they exercise, they will also take admission to your picture.

Tin can Google access my photos?

Yes, Google tin can and does access your photos. But that doesn't hateful that they're going to use your pictures in ads for Google Photos or populate Google Image searches. According to some reports on the internet, what this access means is that Google can browse your photos for metadata to target you lot with advertising.

Protecting your privacy in Google Photos

Even though you might only be uploading personal pictures or family unit videos to Google Photos, at that place are some extra steps you can take to help ensure that your photo library stays individual.

How to create a private album in Google Photos

The great thing about Google Photos is that past default, your entire photo library is private. Follow these steps to create an album that only you can see:

  1. On your iPhone, open up the Google Photos app.
  2. Tap Album > New Album.
  3. Blazon a title for the anthology.
  4. Tap Select photos.
  5. Add the picture(s) or video(southward) y'all desire to that album.
  6. Tap Add.

Yous don't demand to worry about getting all of the pictures you desire into that album correct now. You can always add together more at any time.

How to hibernate photos in Google Photos

While Google Photos doesn't have a "hibernate" feature, you can archive pictures, which will move them from your chief library into an archive. Follow these footstep to archive a movie on Google Photos:

  1. Select the photo(southward) you want to archive.
  2. In the upper-right corner, tap the ellipses.
  3. Tap Archive.

How to create a shared album

In addition to creating individual albums, Google Photos also lets you create shared albums with other users. In Google Photos, you lot tin can really turn any album into a shared anthology:

  1. Open the album you desire to share.
  2. Tap the ellipses in the top-right corner.
  3. Tap Options.
  4. Turn on Share Anthology.

Subsequently you plow on the option to share an album, yous'll be able to invite people and decide whether or not they can add their own pictures, like your pictures, or fifty-fifty leave comments.

Privacy tips for Google Photos

If you lot're new to using Google Photos, all this might audio a little daunting, but equally yous use the app, there are a couple of privacy tips yous can listen.

  • Only share pictures with people you know.
  • Check the Sharing settings on each album you create.
  • Don't upload pictures to Shared Albums from people yous don't know.
  • Turn on Remove Geo-Location in Items Shared past Link.
  • Turn off Google Location History in the Google Photos Settings.
  • Occasionally cheque the Sharing settings on your account to go along things private.

Google Photos is a great service for your unabridged photo library. It's easy to use and has some of the best tools for keeping your library organized. But like whatever other cloud service, you should be careful most what you lot sync and make sure you're doing everything yous can to keep your pictures and videos condom. That said, hopefully this commodity gave you some things to recollect almost and helped requite yous the information you need to use Google Photos deeply and confidently.

This was most:
  • Google Photos