Why & How: Use Google Photos Instead of iCloud on iPhone

Why Use Google Photos Instead of iCloud on iPhone?

It’s easy to access iCloud Photos on your iPhone/iPad/Mac/PC, but why does iPhone use Google Photos instead of iCloud? There are some common reasons are listed below:

Cross-Platform Compatibility: Google Photos is available on both Android and iOS devices, making it a more versatile option for users who have devices from different platforms.
Generous Free Storage: Google Photos offers 15GB of free storage, compared to iCloud’s 5GB. This extra storage can be beneficial for users who have many photos and videos to back up and store.
Easy Sharing and Collaboration: Google Photos offers seamless sharing options, allowing users to easily share photos and albums via links or social media platforms. It also enables collaborative album creation, making it convenient for friends and family to contribute and access shared content.

Here is a brief comparison between Google Photos and iCloud:

	Google Photos	iCloud
Storage & Prices	15GB (Free)	5GB (Free)
	/	50 GB ($0.99)
	100 GB ($1.99)	/
	200 GB ($2.99)	200 GB ($2.99)
	2 TB ($9.99)	2 TB ($9.99)
Compatibility	Android, iOS, Web	iOS, macOS, Web
Supported File Formats	Photos, Videos	Photos, Videos

How to Use Google Photos Instead of iCloud on iPhone

All iOS users have the option to use 5GB of iCloud storage, but that storage capacity tends to run out quickly. As a result, many people consider Google Photos as an alternative to iCloud. While Google Photos also offers a limited storage capacity of 15 GB, it still exceeds iCloud. To begin using Google Photos as an alternative to iCloud, follow these steps:

Step 1: Download and install the Google Photos app on your iPhone. Then, create a new account if you don’t have one.

Step 2: If you already have a Google account, simply sign in using your existing credentials.

By completing these steps, you’ll successfully set up Google Photos, and it will be ready for use as an alternative to iCloud. Then, here is a detailed guide on how to migrate your photos from iCloud to Google Photos:

Step 1: Visit Apple’s privacy website, sign in using your Apple ID and password, and choose the Request to transfer a copy of your data option.

Step 2: Choose Google Photos as your preferred destination and choose what you want to transfer - Photos, Videos, or both. Then, click the Continue button.

Step 3: Sign in using your Google ID and grant Apple permission to add the photos and videos to your Google library.

★Tip:

 If you haven’t backed up your photos to your iCloud, you can upload your iPhone photos directly to Google Photos.

A copy of your photos from iCloud will be seamlessly transferred to Google Photos, and you’ll be able to access them within the app on your iPhone. Once the transfer is complete, you can safely delete all your photos and videos from iCloud Photos.

Bonus: Transfer Your Photos to PC from iPhone to PC

When it comes to transferring data, USB transmission outperforms wireless transmission due to its immunity to network conditions. For Windows PC users, FoneTool serves as an invaluable iOS data management tool. It empowers seamless data transfer between iPhones and PCs, as well as between iPhones themselves.

FoneTool boasts the following exceptional features:

Selective Photo Transfer: You have the flexibility to choose specific photos for transfer to your PC.
Uncompromised Quality: FoneTool ensures that your iPhone data is transferred to your PC without any compression, preserving its original resolution and quality.
Swift Transfer Speed: Thanks to FoneTool’s efficient transfer mechanism, it only takes just 3 seconds to transfer 100 photos from iPhone to PC.
Unlimited Storage Space: FoneTool allows you to back up your iPhone to external hard drives, NAS devices, and local computer folders.

How to transfer your iPhone photos to PC using FoneTool? Follow the steps below to do that:

Step 1: Click the download button to get FoneTool and establish a connection between your iPhone and PC.

Step 2: Launch FoneTool to its Home interface, navigate to Phone Transfer > iPhone to PC, and then click the Start Transfer button.

Step 3: Expand the Photos option by clicking the plus icon > Choose the desired photos for transfer > Click OK to confirm your selection.

Step 4: Go back to iPhone to PC page > click Start Transfer > choose a storage path to save your photos > click the Transfer button.

If your photos are saved in HEIC format, you can go to Toolbox and choose HEIC Converter to convert HEIC to JPG/JPEG/PNG. Apart from these functions, you can also use FoneTool to back up your iPhone including messages, videos, notes, and more.

The Bottom Line

Now can you use Google Photos instead of iCloud on your iPhone? Just follow the steps discussed in this post to use Google Photos instead of iCloud to back up your iPhone photos. If you run out of storage with Google Photos as well, you can also use FoneTool to transfer photos from iPhone to PC to free up iCloud storage space. Download and use it at once!