Google Photos, end of the fun: from June goodbye to unlimited uploading of photos and videos. But don't worry, there are alternatives: here they are
Some have managed to stay calm, others have panicked. Generally among the latter are those who over the years have made massive use of the free storage space made available by Google in Google Photos, uploading photos and videos in a quality just below the original content completely free of charge.
Last November, however, Google suddenly announced that the golden age for those who had found in the unlimited storage of Google Photos was about to come to an end: in June 2021 Google Photos would become paid. No more unlimited storage space for anyone, but no more than the free 15 GB that you need for Google Drive, Gmail and, from next month, also for Google Photos. Time is running out and you need to find a solution soon, but the good news is that luckily there is no shortage of alternatives with free storage space for photos and videos. Do you continue to use Google and subscribe to a 2 up to 20 euro per month plan to keep Google Photos, or do you switch to a potentially better service that's also free?
Amazon Photos
Amazon Photos is by far the best alternative for Amazon Prime customers, for whom it's completely free. It is a service with the same principle as Google Photos, which allows you to automatically upload photos and videos a moment after they are recorded in memory without moving a finger. In addition, if you want, you can enable automatic recognition of people, places and things that by default is disabled, and there is support for Live Photos of Apple devices.
In short, a complete and convenient service included in the Amazon Prime subscription from 36 euros per year or 3.99 euros per month. Under these conditions, those who are not yet Amazon Prime customers might find the subscription more than convenient, since it includes, in addition to unlimited space on Amazon Photos, also the streaming service in ramp up Amazon Prime Video, unlimited free delivery on products sold by Amazon, music from Amazon Music, Twitch, etc.
Finally, Amazon is offering until May 30 a €8 voucher to spend on any product simply by downloading the Amazon Photos app for Android and iOS - which needless to say is free - and enabling automatic photo and video uploads.
Subscribe to Amazon Prime now to get free space for photos and videos
Microsoft OneDrive
In the same way that Amazon Photos is the best alternative to Google Photos for those with an Amazon Prime subscription, OneDrive might be the best for those with a Microsoft 365 subscription. It can't boast the intelligence of Google's software or even unlimited storage space, but it does offer 1TB of space to all Microsoft 365 subscribers which may be enough for many. Non-subscribers, on the other hand, are offered storage space at about the same rates Google One is asking.
Free storage for a regular user is limited to 5 GB, 100 GB costs 2 euros per month and then up to family packages with various ancillary services for 99 euros per year.
Apple Photos
Apple also has its own cloud uploading service for media content. The free space on Apple Foto is that of iCloud, which Apple users will remember is limited to 5 GB. Those who want more have to pay: it starts from 0.99 euros per month for 50 GB up to 9.99 euros per month for 2 TB.
It's certainly the most convenient solution for those who own several Apple devices such as iPhone, Mac or iPad, but you have to be ready to accept the absence of a dedicated client for Windows and Android systems.
Dropbox
Dropbox is one of the veterans among cloud services, but it wasn't born for multimedia content. It's a very comprehensive storage space that can host anything, so even photos and videos, but it doesn't have specific features like many of the other services listed.
The free quota offered by Dropbox is not attractive, in fact it's not at all: it stops at 2 GB. To get more you have to switch to paid plans that are roughly in line with Google's: 2 TB at 9.99 euros per month.
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