Google Photos will no longer back up saved images and videos from folders created and managed by social media applications by default (via Android Police) Previously, Google’s photo backup platform automatically loaded all images saved on your Android or iOS device, including files stored in folders created by apps like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Now, Google says that feature is disabled, and you’ll have to enable it for specific apps or run manual backups on specific folders.
Google is citing the increase in image sharing since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. “People share more photos and videos because of COVID-19. To save internet resources, backup and sync has been disabled for device folders created by messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messages and Kik. You can change this at any time in settings, “reads a support page detailing the change.
Google emphasizes that photos already backed up and organized through social media apps are not affected by the change, and that you can still go to individual folders within the Google Photos app and activate the “backup and sync” feature. . Google has a handy guide here to find your existing social media related images and videos on Google Photos, to run manual batch backups, and to turn on the automatic backup feature. Some of the affected platforms include the Facebook family of applications, the default message client on Android, Snapchat and Twitter, among others.
