Think about how many photos are sitting on your phone right now.
Birthdays, holidays, the first day of school, that one good photo of your parents.
Now imagine the phone slips out of your pocket in the monsoon rain.
Copying photos to a computer by hand takes time and discipline, and most of us never get around to it.
Google Photos does it quietly in the background instead.
What is Google Photos?
It is Google's photo storage service, with an app for both Android and iPhone.
You sign in with your Google account, and it copies every new photo and video to Google's servers.
Lose the phone, sign in on the new one, and your photos come back.
How do I switch it on?
Install Google Photos from the Play Store or the App Store.
Sign in with the Google account you already use for Gmail.
Tap your profile picture at the top right, then go to Photos settings -> Backup and turn it on.
Leave it backing up on Wi-Fi only unless your data plan is generous.
Check the app a day later to confirm the upload actually finished.
Is it still free?
This is the part that has changed since I first wrote this post.
Google once gave unlimited free storage for compressed photos, and that offer ended in 2021.
Every photo you upload now counts against the 15 GB your Google account shares between Gmail, Drive and Photos.
15 GB disappears quickly, and videos are what eat it.
How do I make 15 GB last?
In the backup settings, choose Storage saver rather than Original quality.
Storage saver shrinks photos to 16 megapixels and video to 1080p, which is plenty for phone screens and normal prints.
Then open Manage storage in the app.
Google lists your blurry shots, screenshots and oversized videos there, so you can clear them in one go.
If you still run out, Google One sells extra space by the month or year, starting at 100 GB.
What else can it do?
It groups faces on its own, so you name someone once and then find every photo of them.
It sorts by place and by object too, so searching "Goa", "birthday cake" or "dog" genuinely works.
Things to Remember
- Turn Backup on once, then check a day later that it finished.
- Choose Storage saver unless you shoot professionally.
- Remember the 15 GB is shared with Gmail and Drive.
- Clear screenshots and stray videos from Manage storage every few months.
- A backup you never verify is not really a backup.