Google has to save: Pixel phones at a disadvantage
The fact that Google is not a charity is currently evident in the US company’s Pixel phones. At the start, Google equipped the smartphones with an innovative feature that was not available anywhere else in this form. But now the rip cord is pulled.
Opinions are divided about Google’s pixel range. Some do not like the design, others consider the technical equipment to be poor and still others are bothered by the many gimmicks that the search engine provider conjures up in one year, only to moot them in the following year. However, the latest pixel cell phones have always been able to score with one feature: the free photo backup in full resolution. This unique selling point is now history.
Pixel 2 (XL): Google Photos cancels original-quality storage
Because since January 16, this is no longer possible with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, reports Golem. Owners of smartphones can only save their photos and videos in “high quality”. In concrete terms: Photos are up to 16 MP, videos up to Full HD. If you want to save content with a resolution higher than 16 MP and 1080p, the used storage space is calculated against the storage quota of the user.
Next up are the owners of the Pixel 3 phones. The line will be drawn there from January 31, 2022 and backups in original quality will no longer be allowed. If you use a Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL or Pixel 3a, you still have around a year to look around for an adequate replacement for photo and video backups.
Why smartphone cameras have gotten so good:
Google Photos is no longer free
Much worse off are users who do not own a Pixel phone, but rely on Google Photos as a backup solution. As Google announced in November last year, the free storage will be completely stopped from June 1, 2021 – including the high-quality backup option. If you want to continue using Google Photos for storing photos and videos and use more than the 15 GB of free storage space that Google provides, you have to rent monthly storage space from Google One after the deadline.
