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| Nexus device owners might soon get unlimited online storage space for their high-res photos and 4K videos. |
If you aren't using Google Photos, it's worth checking out. Even if you aren't biggest Google fan, Google Photos gives users a free, easy-to-use way to backup all of their photos on their device.
That said, don't expect to have your crazy-high-resolution images go up to Google's cloud; currently, Google Photos limits those using the free version of its service to a maximum of 16 megapixels. If you upload photos larger than that (or videos larger than 1080p, they'll get downsized. Though, you can always pay Google forDrive storage and upload even higher-quality versions of your photos and videos (to a maximum limit of 75 megabytes or 100 megapixels for a photo, and 10 gigabytes for a video).
Recent reports indicate that Google might be relaxing these restrictions a bit, but there's a catch—you'll need to have one of Google's Nexus devices, which is an interesting promotion-slash-hook for Nexus if true. Photography and videos are a major aspect of most people's everyday experiences with their devices, and nobody likes paying money each month just to ensure their shots are safely protected in the cloud.
According to Android Police, text buried in the code of the latest update to the Google Photos app (1.21) suggests that this Nexus-themed promotion is on the way—ideally, soon.
"With Nexus, back up all you want! Unlimited free storage for original quality photos & videos upload from your Nexus device," the update reads.
Of course, even the best of today's Nexus devices shoot photos that are below 16 megapixels in size, so the "unlimited" bit doesn't really help there. However, theydo shoot 4K video, which means that devices owners—at some point—will be able to upload their high-resolution videos to Google Drive without the videos counting against users' storage limits.
And if you want to get really creative, we wonder if you will be able to upload even higher-resolution photos shot with a different device—like a high-end DSLR—if you first transfer them to your Nexus and uploaded them from there. It's a bit of work, sure, but it's also… free.
We'll be curious to see the official rules for Google's new promotion once it goes live.