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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Google Photos works best after a quick settings check.
• Backup quality and account settings can impact your storage fast.
• Review AI tools, sharing, alerts, and more before using the app.

I’ve used Google Photos for more than a decade. It just works so well across Android, iOS, the web, and desktop. As primarily an iPhone user, I love that it gives me an alternative to Apple Photos, a service I don’t especially love, but that’s another story.

For me, the biggest draw is having a searchable, cloud-backed photo library. I can use it to find a specific photo buried deep in my account, whether it’s that Christmas photo of my dog, a Home Depot receipt, a beach sunset, my daughter’s birthday cake, or a person, in seconds. It’s also packed with fun editing features that make it easy to turn old photos into something new.

Also: I’m no longer using Google Photos as just a cloud storage – 5 tools that elevate the app

The thing is, no matter how much I like Google Photos, I never install it fresh and let it loose on my camera roll without checking a few settings. Sometimes, that means tightening up privacy and security. Other times, it means enabling useful backup or turning off AI features that make the app feel busy. Either way, these are the Google Photos settings I change first, and why.

1. Choose the right backup account

This sounds basic — until 12,000 toddler photos are backed up to the wrong Gmail account. On iOS and Android, open the app, tap the profile picture, go to Photos settings > Backup, and check the account listed under Account and storage. I make sure it’s my main Google account, not a work account, burner account, or ancient YouTube-commenting account I haven’t used since 2016.

2. Turn backup on, but with limits

Backing up is one of the main reasons to use Google Photos, right? So, on iOS and Android, I make sure Backup is enabled. Just tap the profile picture > Photos settings > Backup, then turn Backup on. Next, I decide what I actually want to save to my account.

• On iPhone, go to iOS Settings > Privacy and Security > Photos > Google Photos and select Limited Access. Now choose which photos, videos, and device folders Google Photos can see.
• On Android, open Settings > Apps > Photos > Permissions > Photos and videos, then select Allow limited access. Another option is to open Google Photos, tap the profile picture > Photos settings > Backup, and look for Backup options. From there, switch from backing up all photos and videos to backing up only specific device folders.

Also: This silent Android feature scans your photos for ‘sensitive content’ – how to uninstall it

I don’t need every photo, screenshot, download, or random image folder stored in the cloud forever. If I let everything in or grant full access, my storage will fill up faster, search may get messier, and the app will keep photos I never wanted it to have in the first place.

3. Turn off cellular backup

I never back up my entire camera roll over cellular unless I want a surprise bill from my carrier. On iPhone, go to Photos settings > Backup > Mobile data usage, then turn off backup for photos and videos. On Android, follow the same path, but set “No data” as the daily data limit and turn off the toggles for backing up videos over cellular data and backing up while roaming.

Now, Google Photos will only back up when my device is connected to Wi-Fi.

4. Turn on overnight backups

Instead of uploading everything in the background while I use my phone during the day, I let Google Photos do the work overnight.

On iPhone, open Google Photos, tap the profile picture > Photos settings, scroll to the bottom, then tap Overnight backup > Start overnight backup > Exit. Keep the phone plugged in, connected to Wi-Fi, and leave Google Photos open. The screen will fade to black, but Google Photos keeps running so photos and videos can upload overnight. When I wake up, it should be all good to go.

Also: How I ditched Google Photos for my own private self-hosted alternative – for free

Android doesn’t have this same mode, so I leave the phone plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi after turning on Backup for the first time.

5. Pick original quality or storage saver

Remember, I’m an iPhone user most days. So, on my iPhone, I choose the Storage saver option in Google Photos. I already have the untouched files saved locally on my device. Storage saver still lets me back them up to my Google account, but in a compressed format, including my high-resolution photos and videos. That saves me cloud storage in the long run, which is exactly what I need.

On iOS and Android, go to Photos settings > Backup > Backup quality, then choose Storage saver. Google Account storage is shared across Photos, Gmail, and Drive, so choosing Original quality instead can get expensive fast.

6. Turn off ‘Ask Photos’ AI-powered search

OK, I’m done with the backup settings, I promise. Let’s pivot to AI.

Google announced Ask Photos in 2024, and months later, it paused the rollout after users complained that the Gemini-powered Google Photos search feature was too slow, inconsistent, and not as useful as classic search. Ask Photos is designed to answer natural-language questions about a photo library, such as finding specific trips, places, objects, or memories.

Also: Gemini can look through your emails and photos to ‘help’ you now – but should you let it?

As of June 2026, that pause is no longer in effect, which means Ask Photos is available to users who opt in to Gemini features.

But I still prefer classic Google Photos search. It’s simple, fast, and already good at finding people, places, pets, objects, and receipts from years ago. Ask Photos can be useful for more complex questions, but for basic searches, it can also add unnecessary complexity, lag, and extra steps. To turn it off, go to Photos settings > Preferences > Gemini features, then turn off Ask Photos.

7. Turn off Gemini entirely

I use AI features a lot for work and don’t mind experimenting with it, but some people may not want generative AI involved in their photos or backups at all. For them, Google allows Gemini to be disabled entirely. On iOS and Android, open Google Photos, tap the profile picture, then go to Photos settings > Preferences > Gemini features in Photos, and turn off Use Gemini in Photos.

Also: You can turn off Gemini in Gmail, Photos, Chrome, and more – here’s how

This one quick switch disables all Gemini-powered features in Google Photos, including Ask Photos.

8. Limit Gemini features and access

Let’s say, for whatever reason, I choose to keep Gemini and Ask Photos enabled in Google Photos. In that case, Google still lets me customize which AI features stay on and control some of the data it uses for personalization and to improve the app.

On iOS and Android, go to Photos settings > Preferences > Gemini features in Photos. From there, Ask Photos can be disabled, as I mentioned, and so can Gemini-powered memories, which are narrated recaps, and Help me title, which suggests titles for memories.

Also: I tried Google Photos’ new AI Enhance tool: How it crops, relights, and fixes your shots – sometimes

Below that, Google lets me edit the Remember list, which limits what it uses for personalization. I can also disable access to my Ask Photos queries if I don’t want them used to improve Photos. Finally, there’s View and manage activity, which opens all Photos activity history tied to my Google Account. There, I can disable Ask Photos activity entirely, or review and delete specific activity data.

9. Hide certain memories

Google Photos can resurface memories. Great, right?

Well, not so much if I’ve recently lost a loved one, exited a relationship, or ended a friendship, and Google Photos decides to ambush me emotionally with years of memories before I’ve even had my morning coffee. To avoid seeing certain photos and videos, I hide specific people, pets, and dates, then adjust featured memories and memory types.

On iOS and Android, go to Photos settings > Preferences > Memories. From there, Google Photos offers several ways to manage memories, including which ones appear and which notifications the app can send about them.

10. Manage sharing activity

The sharing features in Google Photos are very useful, but it’s too easy to forget what has been shared with whom over time.

On iOS and Android, go to Photos settings > Sharing > Manage sharing activity. From there, I can review shared links, memories, and conversations in Google Photos. If I no longer want something shared, I can tap into it and delete the link or memory. I can also adjust sharing for memories and conversations by tapping the three-dot menu > Sharing, then reviewing the member list.

I also audit shared albums separately. Go to Collections > Albums, open a shared album, tap the three-dot menu > Sharing, and review Link sharing, Collaborate, and the member list. I turn off link sharing for any album I no longer want accessible, disable Collaborate when I don’t want others adding photos, and tap Leave to remove myself from old albums shared with me long ago.

11. Turn off notifications and offers

I get notification overload way too easily. Notifications are overstimulating, disruptive, and very seldom useful. Do I really need my photo storage app notifying me 10 times a day? Go to Photos settings > Notifications.

From there, I turn off the alerts I don’t need, which is most of them.

Also: Use Google Messages? I change these 9 settings on every new Android phone – here’s why

While I am at it, go to Photos settings > Preferences > Activity-based personalization. There, Google Photos includes toggles for promotional emails and draft reminder emails. Disable both to avoid reminders about print drafts or emails with tips and offers.

12. Quiet suggestions

This is another small setting that helps cut down on Google Photos feeling too noisy. I already get enough pop-ups and notifications from every other app, so I don’t need my photo library constantly suggesting things to me. Go to Photos settings > Preferences > Activity-based personalization. From there, turn off the suggestions for creations, rotations, archive, and more.

13. Change color theme to dark

I prefer a darker interface in Photos because I often scroll through pictures or edit images at night, and a bright screen then is not great. Go to Photos settings > Preferences > Activity-based personalization > Appearance, then choose Light, Dark, or Use device default. I pick Dark so Google Photos doesn’t follow my phone’s system setting, which changes throughout the day.