The app no longer allows you to disable video backup via cellular data.
What you need to know
- Google has quietly removed an option in Photos to prevent video backups when using mobile data.
- Instead, this option has been replaced by a feature that specifies daily backup limits.
- The latest change removes the ability to separate video backups from photos via cellular networks.
In areas where available Wi-Fi connections are limited and data allowances are small, the ability to prevent mobile data from being used to back up large media files will come in handy. On the other hand, Google Photos quietly removed a useful feature that allows you to save mobile data from video backup uploads.
As 9to5Google first noticed, the option to disable video backup via cellular data in Google Photos has been removed. Previously, there was a separate option to back up photos and videos via cellular data, and you could choose to back up videos only via Wi-Fi connection.
Instead, the service has replaced the setting with an option that specifies daily backup limits on the mobile network for photo and video backups. You can access the new features by going to the photo settings menu and then turning on “Backup and Sync”.
The latest changes seem to be only available on Android phones, while iOS devices retain the old options. There is also a new option to back up photos and videos while roaming.
According to American and European standards, data allowances are not generous. You can choose not to set data at all or specify a trivial 5MB to 30MB for mobile data usage. Fortunately, there is an option to set unlimited for media backup. Again, in countries with thin data limits, the unlimited option is not ideal.
In other words, the daily limit should not disturb users in developed countries, where most people are willing to use mobile data for photo backup. However, it is always more pragmatic to have a separate option for whether to back up larger files (such as videos) on mobile data and perform operations over Wi-Fi.
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