Google Photos users have been able to choose whether they can use cellular data or Wi-Fi only when backing up both photos and videos. This was important for those who wanted the option to still be able to back up their videos even when they’re using their mobile data. But it looks like the app has quietly removed that in the settings and instead we’re getting a “daily limit” option which was first introduced in India a couple of years ago.
9 to 5 Google reports that when you head to your Google Photos settings and in the backup & sync section, you won’t see the option anymore to use cellular data to back up photos or videos. Instead, you’ll get a page where you can choose your “daily limit for backup” for when you’re using your cellular data. This includes 5MB, 10MB, 30MB, unlimited, or no data. There’s also a separate toggle for you to enable or disable “back up while roaming” in case you’re traveling outside your country.
This is not something new for Google Photos as they first brought it to India and other countries labeled as (Next Billion Users) back in 2019. This is because data is pretty expensive in these countries and so they need to have more granular control over their backup options. Now the settings are changing for countries in North America, Europe, and others where there was previously a separate toggle for photos and videos.
When you go to the Google Photos support page though, it’s still referring to the old settings where you can choose to back up your photos and videos using cellular data. The new settings where you can choose your daily limit seems to be useful for those that don’t back up a lot anyway but it can also be practical since videos of course take up more MBs than photos. So really if you have a lot of videos better stick to backing up on WiFi rather than using your cellular data.
There’s no official word from Google whether this new daily limit will be the norm for all Google Photos users. This may also be a test for selected users although it seems too widespread to just be a beta test.
