How to Delete Google Photos and Keep Them on Your iPhone

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Unsync Google Photos so you don't delete them from your phone
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Do you want to delete Google Photos without deleting them on your mobile phone? Unfortunately, when you sync your photos with the Google Photos app, deleting Google Photos will also delete them from your iPhone. You can prevent Google Photos from deleting photos from your iPhone by first disabling backups in Google Photos, turning off favorites syncing, and then deleting the photos in a web browser. This wikiHow article will teach you the best ways we've found to delete photos from Google Photos without erasing them from your iPhone.

Quick Steps

  1. Tap your profile icon in the Google Photos app.
  2. Tap Google Photos Settings .
  3. Tap Back up and turn backup off.
  4. Tap the back button, then tap Apps & devices > Apple Photos in the Google Photos app.
  5. Disable "Sync Favorites" and close the Google Photos app.
  6. Go to photos.google.com in a web browser and delete the photos.
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Disabling Backups Before Deleting

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    It has an icon that resembles a red, green, yellow, and blue pinwheel. Tap the Google Photos app on your Home screen or Apps menu.
    • The Google Photos app may be in a folder containing other Google apps.
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    If you don't want to lose photos from your iPhone when deleting them from Google Photos, you must disable backups and use your web browser ( not the Google Photos app) to delete them from Google Photos.
    • You can still upload photos manually from your iPhone to Google Photos in a web browser after disabling backups.
    • If you have not set a profile picture for your Google account, you will see a colored icon with your initial in the middle instead.
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    It's near the bottom of the menu. It's next to an icon that resembles a gear.
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    It's the first option at the top of the Settings menu.
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    This disables Backup & Sync on your device. [1]
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    If Google Photos is set up to sync your favorites from your camera roll, you're still at risk of deleting photos from your iPhone that you've synced to Google Photos. To disable this feature, follow these steps:
    • Tap the back button to return to Settings.
    • Tap Apps & devices .
    • Tap Apple Photos .
    • If the switch next to "Sync Favorites" is enabled, tap it to turn the feature off.
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    It's very important that you do not use the Google Photos app to delete the photos, even though you've turned off backups and favorites syncing, as that would also delete them from your iPhone.
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    Go to https://photos.google.com in your web browser. Open Safari or your preferred web browser and sign in to the same Google Photos account you use on your iPhone.
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    As long as backups are disabled in the Google Photos app on your iPhone, you can safely delete photos using your web browser without affecting the ones stored on your iPhone.
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    This moves your Google Photos to the Trash. They will be permanently deleted after 60 days.
    • At this point, you can open the Google Photos app again. You will see that the photos you deleted in your web browser are no longer visible in the Google Photos app. You can also open the Photos app on your iPhone to verify that the photos you've deleted are still exactly where they were before.
    • You can turn backups back on if you'd like, though the photos you deleted from Google Photos may sync back since they are still on your iPhone. In our testing, we found that the photos did not sync, but it's possible they may do so on their own at some point. For this reason, we don't recommend turning backups back on. [2]
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Blocking Storage Access to Your iPhone

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    Another way to prevent Google Photos from deleting images from your iPhone is to ensure Google Photos cannot access your photos. This defeats the purpose of using Google Photos, as you can't use the app to upload anything or view any photos you've uploaded. Still, if you want to delete photos from Google Photos and keep them on your iPhone, this is one way to do it. Disabling backups and deleting photos on the web is a better solution.
    • Be sure to back up your photos to another location so you don't accidentally delete them.
    • You cannot access Google Photos on your iPhone if it does not have full access to your photos. You will be asked to grant full photo access when you open the Google Photos app.
    • Test this method with one photo first to ensure it works for you. It worked flawlessly in our testing, but we cannot guarantee that Google will not change the way these features work.
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    It's next to an icon that resembles a blue, green, yellow, and red pinwheel.
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    It's next to an icon that resembles a colorful flower. This menu allows you to set permissions for Google Photos to access your photos.
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    It's at the bottom of the menu. This blocks Google Photos from accessing your photos.
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    Go to https://photos.google.com in a web browser. Once you block Google Photos access to your photos on your iPhone, you cannot access Google Photos using the app. You will need to log in using a web browser.
    • If you are not automatically logged into your Google account, go ahead and log in using the username and password associated with your Google account.
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    To do so, click the circle icon in the upper-left corner of the thumbnail image. This will display a blue checkmark within the circle. Check all photos you want to delete.
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    It's in the upper-right corner of the web page. This displays a confirmation pop-up.
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    It's the blue button in the confirmation pop-up. This moves your Google Photos to the Trash. They will be permanently deleted after 60 days.
    • Because Google Photos doesn't have access to your photos when you make this change, it cannot delete them from your iPhone. However, if you turn on backups, there is a chance the photos that are still on your iPhone may be uploaded to Google Photos.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Blocking Photo Access on Android

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    Since the Google Photos app can access photos on your device and make changes any time you allow it access to your photos, it can be really easy to accidentally delete your photos on your device. You should back up the photos to a third device that is not synced to Google Drive. This will also protect your photos and files in the event that something happens to your phone.
    • You can connect your phone to a computer using a USB charging cable and transfer the photos from your phone to your computer and use File Explore. Be sure to save your pictures to a location not synced with Google Photos (don't save them to your Photos or Pictures folder). [3]
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    To do so, swipe down from the top of the screen to access the Quick Access menu, then tap the icon that resembles a gear in the upper-right corner.
    • You cannot access your Google Photos in the app if you do this method. To work with your photos going forward, use a different photo management app.
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    The Settings menu differs depending on what phone model you are using. Tap Apps or Applications .
    • If you are having trouble finding a certain area of the Settings menu, tap the magnifying glass icon in the upper-right corner and use the search bar to search for the menus that you need.
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    It will be listed as "Google Photos" or maybe just "Photos." In either case, it will be next to an icon that resembles a blue, green, yellow, and red pinwheel.
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    This menu allows you to set permissions for the Google Photos app.
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    It should be listed below the header that says "Allowed."
    • If this option is listed below "Not allowed," you have already blocked access to your photos and videos.
  7. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d8\/Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-23-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-23-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d8\/Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-23-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-23-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This blocks the Google Photos app from accessing your photos and videos on your Android device.
  8. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/13\/Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-24-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-24-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/13\/Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-24-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-24-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Go to https://photos.google.com/ in a web browser. Once you block Google Photos access to your photos, you cannot access your Google Photos using the app. You will need to log in using a web browser on your PC.
    • If you are not automatically logged into your Google account, go ahead and log in using the username and password associated with your Google account.
  9. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/da\/Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-25-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-25-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/da\/Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-25-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-25-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    To do so, click the circle icon in the upper-left corner of the thumbnail image. This will display a blue checkmark within the circle. Check all photos you want to delete.
  10. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c6\/Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-26-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-26-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c6\/Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-26-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-26-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":344,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":545,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It's in the upper-right corner of the web page. This displays a confirmation pop-up.
  11. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d7\/Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-27-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-27-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d7\/Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-27-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Delete-Google-Photos-Without-Deleting-from-iPhone-Step-27-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":344,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":545,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It's the blue button in the confirmation pop-up. This moves your Google Photos to the Trash. They will be permanently deleted after 30 days.
    • If you turn Back Up & Sync back on or allow Google Photos permission to access your photos again, your photos on your phone will automatically be uploaded to Google Photos again, or they may be deleted from your phone. Be sure to backup any photos you want to keep before turning Backup and Sync back on. [4]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.google.com/photos/answer/6193313?co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS&oco=1&sjid=1617469262030261564-NC#what-happens-when-you-backup-photos
      2. ↑ https://support.google.com/photos/answer/6128858?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS
      3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/itunes/transfer-files-itns32636/windows
      4. ↑ https://support.google.com/photos/answer/6128858?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS

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