Google has made a subtle change to how Photos backups work, excluding images received via social media and messaging apps.
Until now, Google Photos has automatically backed up folders created by Messages, WhatsApp, Kik and other messaging platforms. Google is making the change to help conserve internet resources.
“People are sharing more photos and videos due to COVID-19,” reads a statement on the Google Photos Help site. “To save internet resources, backup & sync has been turned off for device folders created by messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messages, and Kik. You can change this anytime in settings.”
As the statement says, the feature can be re-enabled for users that want all their photos backed up. Once the strain on the internet is alleviated, the company will likely turn it back on for all users.