Switching to Android: How to move iCloud photos, videos to Google Photos

Here is a step-by-step guide to help you transfer your photos and videos saved on Apple's iCloud to Google Photos

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Apple’s iCloud and Google Photos both offer cloud backup for your media, but work in different ecosystems. iCloud syncs photos across Apple devices with 5GB of free storage, while Google offers 15GB distributed across its platforms, including Photos, and includes smart organisation and sharing tools across Google apps. Since they do not sync directly, moving content between them takes a few extra steps.

 

Apple and Google offer official tools and methods to help make this transfer smoother. Before getting started, make sure your iCloud library is up to date, you are signed into the right Google account, and your devices are fully charged and connected to a stable Wi-Fi network. In this step-by-step guide, we will understand how to move your photos and videos from Apple’s iCloud to Google Photos.

Pre-requisites of transferring from iCloud to Google Photos

According to the Apple and Google support page, Apple allows users to request a copy of their iCloud data (photos and videos only) linked to their Apple ID to be transferred to another service, such as Google Photos. This feature is available in over 240 countries worldwide. It is important to note that transferring your iCloud content does not delete or modify the original files stored with Apple; instead, it simply creates a copy in the destination service. The transfer process typically takes between three and seven days, during which Apple verifies the request to ensure it was made by the account owner before completing the transfer.

 

This is to be noted that the service is not available for child accounts or Managed Apple Accounts. Additionally, users with Advanced Data Protection for iCloud enabled will not be able to export their photo or video data from iCloud until the feature is turned off. 

 

Things to check before requesting an iCloud Photos transfer:

• You are using iCloud to store your photos and videos with Apple.
• Your Apple ID has two-factor authentication enabled.
• You have an active Google account to use Google Photos.
• Your Google account has enough storage available to complete the transfer.
• If you add or change content before or during the transfer, it may not be included.

These content types can not be transferred from iCloud to Google Photos:

• Shared albums
• Smart albums
• Photo stream content
• The video portion of Live photos
• Photos and videos not stored in iCloud

How to request to transfer your iCloud Photos content

• Sign in to Apple’s Data and Privacy page: Visit privacy.apple.com and log in with your Apple ID.
• Select “Transfer a copy of your data”
• Once signed in, choose the option to transfer a copy of your data.
• Follow the on-screen prompts: Apple will guide you through a few steps to confirm your selection. This includes choosing the destination service (currently only Google Photos is supported) and verifying what type of content you want to transfer: photos, videos, or both.
• Sign in to your Google account: To authorise the transfer, you will need to log in to your Google account.
• Receive email confirmation of your request: Once your request is submitted, Apple will send a confirmation email to your registered Apple ID email address.
• Get notified when the transfer is complete: When the transfer is successfully finished, Apple will send a second email letting you know that your photos and videos have been copied to Google Photos.

Cancelling the transfer

If you decide to cancel the transfer while it is in progress, the process will stop but any photos or videos already transferred will not be removed from your Google Photos account. You will have to manually delete them if needed.