It’s a common concern for iPhone users utilizing Google Photos: how to manage your Google Photos storage without losing those precious memories from your iPhone’s camera roll. Many users want to free up space in their Google account but still keep their photos safely stored on their personal devices. Fortunately, there’s a straightforward method to delete photos from Google Photos while ensuring they remain untouched on your iPhone. This guide will walk you through the steps to achieve just that.
Steps to Remove Google Photos from Cloud but Keep on Your iPhone
The key to deleting photos from Google Photos without affecting your iPhone is to manage your backup settings and then delete directly from the Google Photos platform, not your phone app. Here’s how to do it:
Turn Off Backup & Sync
First and foremost, you need to disable the backup and sync feature on any device where you wish to retain the original photos or videos, specifically your iPhone in this case.
- Navigate to the Google Photos app on your iPhone.
- Tap your profile picture or initial, typically located in the top right corner.
- Select “Photos settings.”
- Tap “Backup & sync.”
- Toggle “Backup & sync” off.
By turning off backup, you ensure that any deletions you make in Google Photos will not be synchronized back to your iPhone, thus preserving your local copies.
Delete Photos via Google Photos Website
To delete photos from Google Photos cloud storage without removing them from your iPhone, you must use the Google Photos website, not the mobile app.
- Open a web browser on your computer or your iPhone and go to photos.google.com/login.
- Log in to your Google account.
- Carefully select the photos and videos you wish to delete from Google Photos.
- Click the “Delete” icon (trash can).
- Confirm the deletion when prompted.
By deleting through the website, you are directly removing the backed-up copies from Google’s servers.
Verify Photos Remain on Your iPhone
After deleting photos from the Google Photos website, it’s important to verify that they are still present on your iPhone as local copies.
- Wait for a few minutes and ensure your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi.
- Close and reopen the Google Photos app on your iPhone.
- Browse your Photos view. The deleted photos might still appear – these are your local copies.
- To confirm a photo’s backup status, tap on a photo, then tap the “More options” icon .
- Scroll down to “Details.” This section will indicate whether the photo is backed up or is a device copy only.
Important Considerations
Leaving backup off means you will not benefit from Google Photos’ automatic backup features. This includes losing automatic cloud storage and cross-device syncing for new photos and videos taken on your iPhone. If you decide to re-enable backup in the future, be aware that in some instances, deleted photos might be re-uploaded, or device copies could potentially be removed depending on your sync settings at that time. Always double-check your settings and photo statuses to ensure you manage your photos as intended.
