Google Photos is the default photo management service in the Mountain View ecosystem. Is this service confidential? Who can see your photos? Answers in the article.
Google Photos was born from Google+. Initially, the service was included in the social network. With the removal of the latter, Google has decided to spin off Google Photos. Today, Google Photos is the “default”tool for managing photos and videos on all Android smartphones, with cloud sync, smart search, and more. But is it safe? Is it personal? And, above all, who can see your photos?
Overview and basic concepts of Google Photos
Google Photos is designed to give you access to your photos on your device. You can also back up your pictures. When you open it for the first time, the app gives you the option to backup your Google Photos library. With a backup, you can view them on all devices synced with your Google account. Thanks to the cloud, it frees up space on your devices. It includes a powerful search feature to select individual photos. Without enabling the backup option, it is a photo viewer.
Note: The backup function of each device is configured individually, but not the synchronization function. In fact, photos saved in the Google Photos library will automatically appear on all linked devices, even if the “Backup and sync”option is disabled. Images from the Google Photos library sync without problems.
Is Google Photos private?
With or without a backup, photos remain available only to their owner. Unlike social media, your photos do not reflect your Google profile. So added or saved photos are private unless they are manually transferred.
Because that’s the problem. Indeed, when you click on the share icon in Google Photos, the interface offers you the option to create a link. Once created, you can share this link with anyone outside of Google Photos. However, knowing that now anyone with access to this link can see the shared photo. Be careful who you give this link to!