• Does Google Photos offer unlimited storage?

• How to get Google Photos unlimited storage on iPhone or Pixel?

• What if Google Photos ends unlimited storage in 2021?

Does Google Photos offer unlimited storage?

The answer is yes. As one of the most popular cloud storage that owns more than 1 billion users, Google Photos has been one of the best photos and videos storage choice for its unlimited storage service. Since 2015, every Google Photos user can enjoy unlimited storage space as long as they upload photos and videos in High quality (photo limit is 16 MP and video limit is 1080p).

However, it is worth noting that this unlimited storage service will be terminated from June 1, 2021. After then, photos and videos backed up in High quality will start to count towards your Google Account storage. But all the images and videos that your have uploaded to Google Photos before June 1, 2021will be kept normally and these files will not be counted towards your free 15GB storage space or any other storage space paid for Google storage space plan.

How to get Google Photos unlimited storage on iPhone or Pixel?

Actually, only photos uploaded after June 1, 2021, will count towards the 15GB limit attached to each Google account. So, you can still enjoy the unlimited storage service on your iPhone or Pixel now. Here’s how to use phones with unlimited Google Photos storage:

1. Download Google Photos from the App Store.

2. Open the app and sign in to your Google account.

3. Choose High quality.

4. Tap Confirm.

What if Google Photos ends unlimited storage in 2021?

As we all know, each Google user has 15 GB of free storage space, you will run out of space quickly because space is shared with all Google services (such as Gmail, etc.). If the storage space of Google Photos is insufficient, you can try the workarounds in the following.

1. Upgrade your storage plan

If you need more space for backing up photos and videos, you can consider purchasing additional storage space through Google One. The plan starts at $1.99 per month (100 GB storage space). You can follow these steps to upgrade your storage plan if needed:

1. Open Safari and go to the Google Storage page.

2. Sign in to your Google account.

3. Tap Get more storage.

4. Select a storage plan.

5. Follow the prompts to complete your purchase.

2. Turn to other cloud storage

If you think Google Photos is no longer suitable for you after the end of unlimited storage, you can turn to more cost-effective cloud storage. For example, you can convert Google Photos to Amazon Photos, iCloud, Flickr, and so on directly.

Amazon Photos (free for Amazon Prime)

Most people regard Amazon photos as the best alternative to Google Photos because it also offers unlimited storage space for photos and 5GB of storage space for videos as long as you are an Amazon Prime. In addition, you will also get many other benefits, such as product discounts, and free 2-day shipping on many Amazon products.

Free storage space: 5GB

Paid storage: part of Amazon Prime, $12.99 per month. Unlimited photo storage space and 5GB video storage space. The price of additional video storage space is: 100GB $1.99/Mo, 1TB $6.99/Mo and 2TB $11.99/Mo.

Platforms: Windows, iOS, Android, and Fire TV.

iCloud

If you are an iPhone user, iCloud may be the best choice for you. iCloud is seamlessly integrated into all Apple devices (including iPhone, iPad, and Mac) and sync photos between them when creating new devices. Meanwhile, one of the most wonderful things about iCloud is that it can ensure that all of the camera phone lens is reliably shunted into the cloud.

Free storage space: 5GB

Paid storage: 50GB $0.99/Mo, 200GB $2.99/Mo, 2TB $9.99/Mo. You can also bundle it with Apple One

Platform: iOS, macOS, Windows

SmugMug

SmugMug is one of the few online cloud solutions dedicated to image storage, and it showcases many software packages for individuals who want to back up and provide customer galleries through online printing and product ordering.

Free storage space: 14-day free trial

Paid storage: $66 per year (unlimited storage)

Platform: All through the website, iOS, Android, and Lightroom plugins

3. Expand the storage space in Google Drive

Since Google Photos ends the unlimited storage space service and photos will take up the space in Google Drive, you can try to expand your backup space in Google Drive to store more data. If you are looking for a free way to expand Google Drive space, you can consider using CBackup.

CBackup is a professional cloud backup that can help you expand Google Drive space by merging Google Drive space. It offers a feature called combine cloud storage, which allows you to add multiple Google Drive accounts and combine the storage of each account into a huge, even unlimited space. Then, you can choose this combined cloud as your backup destination to protect as much data as you have.

1. Download CBackup, create a CBackup account, and log in.

2. Click Storage on the left side, then choose Google Drive and hit Authorize Now. Then follow the on-screen guide to allow CBackup to access your cloud storage.

3. After adding, all your Google Drive accounts are listed here. Click the + Add Combined Cloud button.

4. Tick the box next to the cloud storage account that you want to combine. After checking, click on Next > Combine. 

5. Then, you will have a Combined Cloud in your clouds list. You can choose the Combined Cloud as backup destination to enjoy huge backup space.

Summary

It is no doubt that Google Photos is a good choice for photos and videos storage that offers unlimited storage service for iPhone and Pixel users. You can follow the steps to enjoy unlimited storage in Google Photos on iPhone and Pixel.

However, since Google will end unlimited storage in 2021, many users have to consider upgrading their storage plan or converting Google Photos to other online Photos storage. The three alternatives to Google Photos that we recommend most are listed above, you can check and choose one if needed. And if you want to expand Google Drive accounts, you can rely on CBackup.