London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Google to stop iPhone users from getting free original quality Photos backup

Google to stop iPhone users from getting free original quality Photos backup

With the launch of the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, fans were somewhat disappointed to hear they’d lose the long-standing offer of unlimited, free, original quality uploads to Google Photos – an offer that had been present across all three of the previous Pixel phone generations.

To add insult to injury, a Redditor (/u/stephenvsawyer) revealed that iPhone users do currently get unlimited Photos storage, but as Android Police discovered, this is about to change.



Free ride

While it's free for Google Photos users to have as many 'high quality' images as they want, if you don't pay for a premium account, any image stored in 'original quality' counts towards the account's total maximum 15GB storage limit, which also includes other services such as Drive, Docs and more.

Since iOS 11, iPhones have been using the HEIC file format to take photos and store them locally on the device. One of the main benefits of such a format is that it compresses the image more than the JPEG format does and thus takes up less storage space.

Because the premium subscription for Google Photos measures its ‘original quality’ uploads by its file size, users uploading anything in the HEIC format would technically still fall under the limit (16MB), while also being able to store and retain the photo’s original resolution.


Bug fix?

Android Police reached out to Google about this quirk, and the software giant responded by stating that it was aware of the workaround and would be fixing the ‘bug’.

No details were revealed on how Google intended to ‘fix’ this issue, however. Some such possibilities include lowering the file size threshold for HEIC images to be considered ‘original quality, compressing them into even smaller HEIC files, or forcibly converting them to JPEG images once uploaded.

None of these options are overly ideal for the consumer, but Google will need to do something so as not to disadvantage its own customers while giving users of competing products a free ride. We’ll keep you updated on how Google decides to best resolve this issue.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×