How to Back-up Your Travel Photos
Only the most dedicated photographers take a proper camera with them on holidays; for most us, the high quality of our smartphone camera is more than enough to document our travel memories. And when you’re taking scores of snaps a day on the road, it’s best to do a back-up every day.
While the free 5GB offered by most cloud storage solutions is enough for many users (on average, people keep around 1000 photos and videos on their phone at once), it’s a good idea to give yourself plenty of room for future back-ups to avoid a frantic deleting session before a once-in-a-lifetime shot.
There are plenty of cloud storage and back-up options for both iOS and Android devices – find out how they work and what they cost so you can make the most informed decision.
iCloud
Available on iOS
Apple’s iCloud Photos is a built-in feature of iPhones and iPads that automatically backs-up your camera roll in full resolution when it is enabled in the settings. This way every shot you take on your iOS device is replicated in iCloud so you can free up valuable memory on your iPhone and still be able to access your photo library from any device.
How it works: Go to “Settings”, “Photos”, then “iCloud Photos” and set the switch to “on”, and check you have enough space for your images in iCloud.
Cost: 5GB free; 50GB/$1.49 per month; 200GB/$4.49 per month. 2TB/$14.99 per month is a good option for a family to use for all of their back-ups.
Google Photos
Available on iOS and Android
Google Photos is a free service for both iOS and Android users that stores unlimited photos in up to 16-megapixel resolution and unlimited full HD videos. Google Pixel smartphones owners can take advantage of unlimited storage of full-quality images and videos; anyone else who wants to store high-resolution pictures and videos needs to purchase storage space.
How it works: Google Photos is pre-installed on Android devices and can be downloaded from the App Store for iPhone users. The app backs-up and syncs your images automatically.
Cost: 15GB free on Google One; 10GB/$2.49 per month; 20GB/$4.39 per month; 2TB/ $12.49 per month; 10TB/$124.99 per month; 20TB/$249.99 per month; 30TB/ $374.99 per month.
SEE ALSO: How to Shoot Great Videos on Your Phone
Dropbox
Available on iOS and Android
This well-known professional cloud storage service is ideal for online photo and video storage thanks to the ease of access from its smartphone app. Dropbox allows users to upload and organise their photos and videos into folders and view them whenever they want from any device.
How it works: The Dropbox app is available to download for both Android and iOS. Users have the option of setting up automatic back-ups from their device. Tap “Camera Uploads” and toggle to “on”.
Cost: 2GB free; 2TB/$15.79 per month; 3TB/25.58 per month.
Microsoft OneDrive
Available on iOS and Android
Even though Microsoft owns OneDrive, the platform is open to all iOS and Android users as a photo and video back-up option. It features automatic uploading of designated files and allows users to back-up, organise and share photos and videos from the app.
How it works: From the OneDrive mobile app you can choose to either selectively back-up files or set it to automatic by clicking on the “Me” icon at the bottom, then “Settings”, tap Camera Upload and set to “on”.
Cost: 5GB free; 50GB/$2.99 per month; 1TB/$10 per month.
Amazon Drive
Available on iOS and Android
Amazon customers with an Amazon Prime membership have access to unlimited storage for smartphone images and videos online. It’s also possible to create a family vault and give access to your memories for family and friends. You can order prints and create photo books and calendars using the images you have stored on the platform.
How it works: Set up Auto-Save by tapping “More”, then “Settings” and click “Uploads”. Update preferences and approve back-ups over cellular if wi-fi is not available.
Cost: Free for Amazon Prime members ($6.99 a month); non-members can only access 5GB of storage.
