Google Photos and Drive about to be disintegrated to reduce confusion among users

Alvin Wanjala June 13, 2019

0 1 minute read

Google photos and Drive have both been working together to provide a seamless way to backup and retrieve data across both platforms specifically photos and videos. Syncing between the two platforms enabled users to easily access photos and videos saved in drive and vice versa. However, some users have complained about the confusing nature that the ‘sync’ feature across the two apps has brought. Google via a Blog today stated that they want to simplify these by disintegrating the two platforms.

“We’ve heard feedback that the connection between these services is confusing, so next month, we’re making some changes to simplify the experience across Drive and Photos,” Dan Schlosser and Jason Gupta, product managers for Drive and Photos respectively.

From first July the two platforms will have a new approach of working. New photos that you will add in Drive won’t be synced in Google Photos and also new pictures in Google Photos won’t be synced in the Photos folder in Drive. Under the new mechanism photos you delete in Drive won’t be deleted in Photos. According to Google, it will help save some users from deleting their data by mistake.

With the sync confusion solved for some users, a new problem has been born. Lack of sync will mean that the photos in drive and Photos will both count towards your storage quota which will definitely be disappointing for people who have used more of their storage quota. But you don’t have to be scared about the new feature since synced photos and videos on either platforms will remain as they are, only syncing has been cut.