Google is fixing a bug where it gives iPhone users free unlimited Google Photos storage

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If you’ve been following the Pixel 4 launch, one of the things that stuck out like a sore thumb is that Google is no longer giving free, unlimited full-resolution photo storage to new Pixel buyers.

Anyone with a Pixel 1 through 3a gets it, but Pixel 4 owners are out of luck. Oddly, because of the format the iPhone stores images on Google Photos, users on iPhones still get full resolution storage, as the HEIC format is smaller than Google’s compressed JPEGs.

The internet was rightly incensed by this, and Google has said that the unlimited storage on iPhones is a bug, not a feature, and is trying to fix it.

Google says the unlimited Google Photos storage on iPhone is a bug, not a feature

All of Google’s Pixel range came with unlimited, full-resolution picture storage. It was a huge selling point for the range, but now it’s no more. Owners of the Pixel 4 will only get high-quality unlimited storage with Google Photos, with Google trying to get people to subscribe to Google One storage plans.

iPhone users also get unlimited high-quality storage, but thanks to a quirk in Google Photos, they’re also getting full-resolution storage for the HEIC format that the iPhone’s camera uses to store images.

That’s a weird situation, as you’d expect Google Photos on Google’s own handset would have more features than on a competitor’s phone. You’d be right too, as Google has confirmed to Android Authority that this is a bug and the company is trying to fix it currently. As to when, who knows.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.