Easier to switch from Google Photos to iCloud Photos

Easier to switch from Google Photos to iCloud Photos

Apple and Google Photos.

Apple and Google have announced a new tool to import photos from Google Photos to iCloud Photos on Apple platforms. Here's how to use it.

Google had previously announced a tool to transfer Google Photos to iCloud in 2021. But the new Google resources closer cooperation between the two companies to facilitate transfers.

It is not only for photos. It can also contain videos in transfers.

There are a few limitations to transferring photos to Apple iCloud. For example, it doesn’t work for managed Apple accounts, and it doesn’t work if Advanced Data Protection is enabled.

Transfer details

To use Photos to iCloud Transfer, both iCloud Photos and iCloud Drive must be enabled in your device’s Settings app. Also, make sure that your iCloud Drive has enough free space to accommodate the photos you’re transferring.

According to Apple, transfers between the two services are seamless and there's no need to manually download photos first. Any photos transferred from Google Photos will remain on that service after copies of them are transferred to iCloud.

Apple also notes that if the file size of the transferred photos is large, or if there are a large number of photos, the transfer may take several hours to several days. to dawnPlease note that you may have to wait for a long time.

To initiate a photo transfer from Google Photos to iCloud, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the Google Photos Takeout transfer page

  2. Click Continue and follow the instructions provided

  3. Select “Apple – iCloud Photos” as the destination

  4. Sign in to your Apple account if you haven't already.

  5. Click or tap Allow to authorize sharing

Once these steps are completed, the transfer will start silently in the background.

Full instructions

Both Apple and Google have published detailed information instructions on how to perform the transfer, Apple's technical information is number HT213483.

Apple also has a technote on how to perform transfers in the other direction – from iCloud to another service.

The DTI is an interesting collaboration because one of the headaches of using Big Tech cloud services is interoperability. The DTI promises to make sharing between services easier and more automatic, which is desperately needed.

Transferring photos between the services is definitely a big step in the right direction.