Google Photos eliminates the ability to automatically back up all content downloaded from WhatsApp. Coronavirus is to blame
Google Photos could disable automatic backup of content downloaded from messaging apps like WhatsApp. The discovery was made by developers at XdaDevelopers, who analyzed the code of Google Photos version 4.52 (only available in beta) and found parts of code that would confirm the novelty. The Covid-19 and the explosion in the use of messaging apps, however, have changed the game. Too much multimedia content has been shared by users in recent months, and servers have likely gone under stress. Before the situation becomes irreversible, Google has decided to put a stop to all this content and disable the default backup for videos and images downloaded from messaging apps. The feature, however, will not disappear: it will remain available and users must be the ones to activate it.
Google Photos, stop WhatsApp image backup: what changes for users
Many users are not even aware of the feature, but when you download a photo or video from WhatsApp and have the sync active on Google Photos, the content is saved on Big G's servers. In this way, the image and video can be deleted from the smartphone's memory, but are always accessible via the cloud.
A very useful tool, but one that is in danger of disappearing. As mentioned earlier, Google has decided to remove from the Google Photos app the automatic backup of content downloaded from messaging apps, including even WhatsApp and Telegram. The reason is simple: the Covid-19 led users to exchange an amount of multimedia content that flooded Google Photos' servers. And before the situation became unmanageable, developers took action.
For users, this is a major change. If until now they had been using Google Foto's free cloud space to keep their smartphone storage free, from version 4.52 of the app they will no longer be able to do so. Or at least the synchronization won't be automatic. In fact, the feature will remain available, but it will be up to the user to activate it from the app's settings.
Google Photos, more news coming
New things for the Google app don't end there. An option that will allow you to disable autoplay of videos should also arrive in the next versions. Also, you'll be able to use an image in your Google Photos albums as your Google account profile.