Your photos are being uploaded to Google even if you UNINSTALL Google Photos
Google may be uploading your photos taken from your Android phone without your knowledge. Yes, this is true.
This strange occurrence of the Google Photos App wherein your personal photos may still get uploaded to the web without your knowledge was discovered by a journalist at the Nashville Business Journal. David Arnott in the video above removes the Google Photos app from his phone. However, the photo that he took of his coffee mug is still wound up being synchronized into his account on the web.
Even though he had turned on the backup sync before removing the app, is it not appropriate to expect the phone not to do that after the app has been uninstalled? He exhibits it in his video with just a quick photo of his coffee mug. However, the surprising discovery was made by Arnott only when dozens of his personal and family photos that he had taken were all uploaded without his knowledge.
Earlier this week, when he made the discovery for the first time, he went on a Twitter “hate-tweet” spree:
Something kind of annoying/scary I discovered with Google Photos on my Android phone. 1) Months ago, I downloaded the app to play with it
— David A. Arnott (@davidaarnott) July 8, 2015
2)but I didn't like it and so uninstalled the app after just a few days. This evening, I went back to Google Photos on my laptop and found
— David A. Arnott (@davidaarnott) July 8, 2015
3)a crap-ton of pictures Id taken in the interim. It seems that even AFTER I UNINSTALLED the Google Photos app it was still syncing pictures
— David A. Arnott (@davidaarnott) July 8, 2015
4)from my phone when on WiFi. Obviously a problem.
— David A. Arnott (@davidaarnott) July 8, 2015
5)I deleted all those photos, re-installed the app, found the syncing option and turned it off.
— David A. Arnott (@davidaarnott) July 8, 2015
“The backup was as intended” and that the setting would have to be turned off in the phone’s Google Play Services settings, said Google in a response email to Arnott. In contrast to applications, Google Photos’ settings are connected with the phone’s Google Play Services where Google Play keeps Google Photos’ settings even after it is removed
If you are an Android user and want to keep your personal photos on your phone away and not let it make it to the web (even in your own personal Google account), it would be advisable to check now and make changes to those settings.
The photos app is not for backup. It’s only for viewing your backups. You can turn off backup in your phone settings.