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If you want additional storage on Google Photos, then you’re going to have to pay. 15GB might be enough for some people, but not for shutterbugs. Google Photos has a Storage Saver function that will help you conserve storage without having to pay. Well, the Google Photos’ Storage Saver could be coming to the mobile app.
Currently, Storage Saver is only available on the web version of Google Photos. This feature will take backed-up media and compress it in order to save storage space. It’s not the preferred method, but it’s still something. If you want additional storage, it starts at $1.99/month. However, if you don’t want to be tied to a monthly subscription fee, then your only options are to either compress your media or start deleting photos.
Google Photos could bring Storage Saver to the mobile app
This news was discovered via an APK deep dive. Because of this, you’re going to want to take this news with a grain of salt. An APK deep dive is when a person digs into the code of the latest version of an app to discover potential new features in the pipeline. However, since this feature has yet to be officially announced, Google could change it or cancel it at any point.
Strings of code within the app allude to the Google Photos app eventually allowing users to use the Storage Saver feature:
<code class=”read-aloud”><string name=”photos_cloudstorage_ui_compressiondialog_compress_button”>Yes, compress</string>
<string name=”photos_cloudstorage_ui_compressiondialog_message”>Your eligible photos & videos will be permanently backed up in a reduced size. This step can’t be reversed.</string>
<string name=”photos_cloudstorage_ui_compressiondialog_success_toast_text”>Compressing your existing photos & videos. This may take a couple of days.</string>
<string name=”photos_cloudstorage_ui_compressiondialog_title”>Compressing photos & videos can’t be undone</string></code>
There’s no going back
The strings give us a little bit of insight into what the company plans to do with this feature. Firstly we see the “Yes” text that will be in a button you’ll use to confirm whether or not you want to compress your data. Next, we see the text warning you that compressing your media is permanent. So, if you compress your data, you will not be able to uncompress it and restore it to its original quality.
Depending on the media, you may or may not notice the difference in quality. However, if you’re a photographer who values the quality of the photos you take, then you may want to avoid compressing your backed-up photos.
Also, it appears that you can only compress media once a day. That’s an odd mechanic. In any case, if you are in desperate need of storage space, and there are no other options, you will at least be able to conserve a little bit of space by compression.