Joe Maring / Android Authority
I’m as cynical as the next tech writer about Big Tech’s trajectory, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Google Photos. The app recently turned ten years old, and I’ve been there every step of the way, although it certainly took me a while to discover its full potential. Many retrospectives have been written about how the app has evolved from its launch in 2015, but I’ve been thinking more about what the next decade holds. As good as the app is, here’s what I’d like to see from Google Photos in the next ten years.
More storage in the free tier
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
It’s an optimistic start, but I don’t see why Google shouldn’t increase the storage allocation in its free tier. In the tech giant’s defence, 15GB did feel generous back in 2015, especially when paired with unlimited high-quality photo backups. However, the unlimited offer was scrapped in 2021, and the free allocation hasn’t increased since the outset.
Meanwhile, the vast increase in photo and video quality on our devices has ballooned the storage space we need, and we’ve seen this reflected in smartphones’ base storage. It has quadrupled at minimum and increased a lot more in some cases, before we even consider expandable storage. I accept that there’s a difference between a free allocation and an $800 device, but the allocations haven’t changed in the paid Google One tiers, either. The prices may have remained fairly static, but not keeping up with the evolution of photos is a step backward in real terms.
I’m writing this as if it isn’t blindly obvious why Google might not want people to be satisfied with the free tier. Still, there’s a reason why people like me became so attached to the app in the first place, and Google can afford to stay ahead of the competition on this front. As a paying member of Google One, I don’t stand to benefit much from a change to the free tier, but I don’t want to see a trailblazing app burn all of its goodwill. Besides, this is a wishlist, not a prediction.
Optional end-to-end encryption
Joe Maring / Android Authority
To be clear, photos in Google Photos are already encrypted while stored in the cloud and uploaded or shared — that level of security isn’t in question. However, Google still holds the decryption keys. What I’m suggesting is a step further: true end-to-end encryption like Apple’s optional Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, where only I hold the keys and even Google cannot access my data.
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