Reasons to use Google Photos on your iPhone

By Gizbot Bureau

| Published: Tuesday, April 30, 2019, 17:15 [IST]

A built-in app on every Android phone is Google Photos. Some of us ignore it, use our phone to store pictures and use an alternative gallery. For those of us who actually use it know its relevance simplicity of use. iPhone and iPad users may not mull over which app to use to manage their pictures because of iCloud. But there are a few arguments for why Google Photos is superior. Here are five top reasons why you need to look out for Google Photos as your picture manager.

Cost

Google Photos is cheaper compared to iCloud. iCloud offers 5GB of free space for all users. But that's enough for most users. iOS users know that uploading from your desktop or laptop count against that space. To buy additional storage, you'll have to pay $0.99/month for 50GB, this goes up to three dollars a month for 200 GB and close to ten dollars for 2TB.

Free Storage

As mentioned above, Apple offers its users 5GB of free storage to begin with. Google, on the other hand, offers 15GB. And if you're all right with accepting a reduced resolution, which has a maximum limit of 16 megapixels, you can practically store an unlimited amount. 16 megapixels is a good enough resolution, if it isn't shot through a professional camera. It's greater than what all current iPhones have.

Multi-platform support

Google has support everywhere, on every platform. You can access Google Photos from your Mac, iOS, Android, Windows devices. Amazon Fire Stick and some Smart TVs also have this feature. Chances are that you'll come across several Android or Windows users that use Google Photos. iCloud is only accessible on Apple operating systems.

Search

It's no surprise that Google Photos has excellent search options. The AI that supports Photos is as powerful as the one that powers the search engine. Every time you upload a picture, it automatically scans to determine the location, objects, and people in that picture. No such feature exists in iCloud. All searching must be done manually, and that can get cumbersome. Tagging the pictures is one way of simplifying the search, but tagging is a task in itself while clicking pictures rapidly.

Sharing

On this front, both iCloud and Photos are good. iCloud is better at sharing individual pictures. The recipient gets a copy of the image via mail, while Google directs the recipient to its web app. But when it comes to sharing a library, Google shines through the usage of partner accounts. A Partner Account allows you to share a library of photos. You can set restrictions on what photos to be viewed and all these will be integrated into the main view. Either by picture, or by date, the photos can be arranged to be viewed accordingly.