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    Google Photos

    Free 15GB. AI search. Best on Android.

    Why Google Photos?

    • 15GB free, then $2/month for 100GB.
    • Auto-backup of all phone photos.
    • AI search — find by content ("sunset," "dog").
    • Works on iPhone + Android.
    • Easy sharing with family.
    • Photo books + prints available.

    Setup

    • Download Google Photos app.
    • Sign in with Google account.
    • Toggle Backup ON.
    • App uploads photos in background.
    • Wait — first backup takes hours.
    • Connect to WiFi for fast initial backup.

    AI search

    • Search bar at top.
    • Type "beach" — finds beach photos.
    • Type person's name — face recognition finds them.
    • Type year, month, location.
    • "Christmas 2018" finds those exact photos.
    • Magic — works on existing photos.

    Sharing albums

    • Create album of grandkid trip.
    • Share with family members.
    • They can add their own photos to it.
    • Everyone has all the trip photos.
    • Or share with link to non-Google users.
    • Privacy settings control access.

    Memories feature

    • App shows photos from same date previous years.
    • "3 years ago today."
    • Share to family — "remember this?"
    • Auto-creates collages + videos.
    • Brings up forgotten memories.
    • Especially meaningful for seniors.

    Free up phone storage

    • After backup, "Free up space."
    • Removes photos from phone, kept in cloud.
    • Frees gigabytes of phone storage.
    • Photos still in app — just streamed.
    • Originals safe in Google cloud.
    • Helpful for old, slow phones.

    Use Google Photos OR iCloud, not both

    Don't pay for both Google Photos AND iCloud. iPhone users: iCloud is more integrated. Android users: Google Photos is the only option. Some prefer Google Photos on iPhone for the AI search and free 15GB tier — that's fine. Just pick one and use it consistently. Your photos backed up matters more than which service.