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In this article, you will learn How to Get Unlimited Google Photos Storage for free. There are mainly 4 ways that you can try and Get Unlimited Google Photos Storage.
Since June 1, 2022, Google has closed the possibility of unlimited free uploading of photos and videos to Google Photos. You have to pay for a subscription (Google One)- only 15 GB of storage is free from now on.
Few people know that Google has made a big exception for owners of Google Pixel smartphones. The company offered its owners unlimited lifetime storage in Google Photos with no restrictions when they came out. They could upload photos and videos to the cloud, not in high but in the original quality.
I was desperate to research how a regular user could get Unlimited Google Photos Storage for free. I learned a few methods to help users get Unlimited Google Photos Storage for free. I will discuss all these methods in the article below.
BONUS METHOD: Get Unlimited Google Drive for FREE.
The working of this method was last checked on 2nd January 2024.
Step 1: Follow this link and accept the terms and conditions.
Step 2: Enter your Drive name (Type in any name you like), email ID (Associated with Google Drive), and select Random. After that, complete the captcha and click Create.
Congratulations! Your shared unlimited Google Drive has been created!
Now you can use your Unlimited Google Drive Storage and share your files without restrictions. Here is a video tutorial of this method.
Returning to our main topic: let us discuss how to get unlimited Google Photos storage for free.
Method 1: Masking any smartphone into the first Google Pixel XL
The only smartphones on which unlimited downloads of photos and videos in original quality are exclusively available are Google Pixel and Pixel XL – we will emulate them. All subsequent Pixel generations have less attractive plans – unlimited is available for “high quality” photos, not originals. Here also, there are two methods of getting Unlimited Google Photos Storage for free.
NOTE: This method will only work for Rooted Smartphones.
#1: gPhotos Module for Magisk
The easiest method requires only root rights and the Magisk app (Download from the official website).
Step 1: Download the archive via smartphone (Download gphotos.zip).
Step 2: Open Magisk, go to the fourth tab, “Modules,”
Step 3: Click the “Install from Storage” button.
Step 4: Find the downloaded archive in the opened explorer, and select it.
After successful installation, the application will prompt you to restart the device.
Step 5: Restart your device and wait for the completion of the process.
Done. After the reboot, go to the Google Photo application and see a message about the unlimited plan.
#2: Manually Copying the Configuration File
Technically, this method is similar to the previous one. The only difference is that the Magisk app is not required.
Step 1: Download the file to a smartphone with root nexus.xml.
Step 2: Through a file manager, MiXPlorer, we move the file to the directory /system/etc/sysyconfig.
Step 3: We hold our finger on the file in the new directory, open the menu, find the Properties item, and click the Permissions line. Ensure the parameters are set there 644 (rw-r – r–). Otherwise, we change them.
Step 4: We save and reboot the smartphone.
After all the procedures, the unlimited download should appear in Google Photo if it doesn’t, clear the app cache and try again.
How reliable is it?
This method can work indefinitely as long as Google does not impose restrictions on the owners of the original Pixels in the future. In addition, the module may stop working on future versions of the Magisk application (if any). However, the manual method should remain relevant if Android does not change any mechanisms.
Method 2: Transfer files to a Pixel Smartphone
As we know Unlimited Google Photos Storage is only for Google Pixel smartphone owners. You can still find the Google Pixel on the secondary market at a very affordable price. You can get a first-generation Pixel smartphone for less than $120. (Buy from Aliexpress).
Step 1: If you have a Pixel smartphone (secondary) and your primary smartphone (with photos and videos). You must download the free Resilio Sync application, which allows you to synchronize data between smartphones.
Step 2: Run the application on the primary smartphone and share the folder with photos.
Step 3: Open Resilio Sync on the Pixel smartphone and scan the QR code in the application running on the primary smartphone.
Step 4: Google Pixel will download photos and videos from your primary smartphone and upload them to Google Photos.
Congratulations, since you have Unlimited Google Photos Storage, you can easily back up your photos and videos.
Method 3: Use an alternative to Google Photos
Well, this is not a way to get Unlimited Google Photos Storage. Instead, this turn-around method can help you back up your photos and videos on the cloud. These Google Photos alternatives also have a paid subscription, but more features are available.
2. Flickr Pro
The storage for photos is unlimited, but for videos is only 5 GB. You can upload pictures in full resolution, which is convenient. If you don’t have a Prime subscription, you’ll only get 5GB of storage for photos and videos. It only makes sense to upgrade to this service if you have an Amazon Prime subscription.
Method 4: Backing up your files automatically on a hard drive (Creating a NAS server at your home)
This is one of my favorite ways to store files on a hard drive automatically. Here is a complete guide to help you create a NAS server at your place.
It’s a way to attach a hard drive to your network and make it accessible to all your devices for centralized file-sharing and backups. So, when your devices are connected to your router, all your files will back up immediately.
Method 5: BONUS
You can alternatively use- TeraBox, or you can also use Yandex.Drive that allows you to store unlimited photos for FREE.
Conclusion: Get Unlimited Google Photos Storage
I hope this article on how to get unlimited Google Photos storage was helpful. If you have any questions, share them in the comment section below.
2 Comments
Can you specify the google pixel models that still allow unlimited storage as ive heard the pixel 6 series users have to buy bundle packs
Thanks for writing back.
Are your photos clicked by the Pixel phone camera? If the photos is clicked using your Pixel phone camera and then uploaded to Google Photos, then that wouldn’t take up the Google quota space. However, if the photos are edited in any third party app or downloaded from the web/third party apps and then uploaded to Google Photos, this would end up taking the Google quota space.
Let me know if you have any questions.