Google wants to “simplify” how Google Drive and Google Photos work together. What does that mean? Well, it essentially means that Google Photos will stop syncing to Drive and the change is set to happen in July.
You’ll be able to import files from Drive into Photos using the Upload from Drive option. However, there doesn’t seem to be a similar way to move files in the opposite direction. “Since photos and videos will no longer sync across both products, items copied in Original Quality will count towards your storage quota in both Drive and Photos,” Google wrote in a blog post. Files you sync before July 10th won’t take up duplicate storage space. Google spelled out exactly what the changes entail on a support page.
The update follows feedback from users that the way in which the services share your photos and videos with each other is confusing. Google says the move will “simplify” the experience between Drive and Photos and it’s clearly designed to draw a distinction between the products. However, the changes might lead to a messier, time-sapping headache for those who manage videos and photos across both services.
Backup and Sync will continue to work on both Windows and Mac, so if you store your photos locally and want to then sync them to either Google Drive or Google Photos, you’ll still be able to do so. Backup and Sync allows you to upload photos in high or original quality, and as usual, high-quality photos won’t count against storage in Google Drive, though original-quality photos will.
You won’t have to worry too much about the change taking effect retroactively. Google says that existing photos and videos will continue to stay in both Google Photos and Google Drive, but the Google Photos folder in Drive will no longer update automatically.
