Apple lets users transfer iCloud photos to Google Photos

Transfer photos

Apple this week launched a new service designed to make it quick and easy for iCloud users to transfer their stored photos and videos to Google Photos.

As described in an Apple support document, users can visit Apple's privacy website and log in to view the "Transfer a copy of your data" option. If you select this option and follow all the steps, Apple will transfer your ‌iCloud‌ photos and videos to Google ‌Photos‌.

Transferring photos and videos from iCloud Photos will not delete the user's content stored in Apple's system. The transfer process takes three to seven days while Apple verifies that the user has made the request. To transfer, users must also enable two-factor authentication for your Apple ID account and the Google ‌Photos‌ account must have sufficient storage space.

Currently, smart albums, live photos, photo stream content, some metadata and some RAW photos are not transferred, and supported formats include .jpg, .png, .webp, .gif, some RAW files, .mpg, .mod, .mmv, .tod, .wmv, .asf, .avi, .divx, .mov, .m4v, .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .m2t, .m2ts, .mts and .mkv, etc.

Additionally, this transfer only transfers the latest edits, not the original original version, and the copy only appears as a single photo. Images are still mostly synced with the album, but videos are transferred separately.

This new service is good news for "two-gun party", that is, iOS and Android (native) users. Currently, this service supports the following countries and regions: Australia, Canada, European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.