Google Photos, a photo storage/sharing service, could be the go-to place to store your photos and videos. On top of that, Google Photos is available on all major platforms and the web to organize and upload media files. While browsing and sharing is smooth, the backup process feels a little clunky. Sometimes, the backup process in Google Photos feels slow despite a fast internet connection.
The slow backup process can be irritating why Google Photos is taking action. Those familiar with Google Photos may have an idea.
Also, you can enjoy the superior sharing features of Google Photos only when you upload all the media content to the service. Failure or slowdown of Google Photos backup takes away the experience of using the service.
Let’s talk about possible causes of a slow backup process in Google Photos and troubleshoot it with our suggested solutions.
Before looking into solving the problem with Google Photos, try some basic fixes to make the backup process easier.
1. Restart the Router
Google Photos requires a constant internet connection for a smooth backup process. Restarting your router can help fix the slow backup process issue. While this may sound trivial, there are times when a simple router reboot can do wonders.
2. Update Router Firmware
You should update your router’s firmware to ensure that any known router bugs are fixed. It is also recommended to keep the router firmware up-to-date to protect your network from known vulnerabilities.
3. Provide Sufficient Google Photos Storage
Now that you have a stable internet connection, it’s time to look for troubleshooting steps from the Google Photos service.
Google Photos is part of the Google One program. As part of Google One, each user gets 15GB of free storage. Cloud space is split between Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. If you receive hundreds of emails every day or save a lot of data in Google Drive, you may have insufficient free Google One storage to save full quality Google Photos media.
In such cases, you have two options. You can delete emails from Gmail, irrelevant files from Google Drive, or buy Google One plans for 100GB starting at $2/month.
4. Switch to High Quality Upload
When you sign up for Google Photos, the service prompts you to choose between high-quality and Original uploads. The original option loads media files in full size. High quality compresses photos/videos to some extent and then uploads them to Google Photos.
The high-quality upload comes with unlimited storage, while the original quality is limited to 15GB. If you have problems with full quality uploads, you may want to switch to high quality, which reduces file size and speeds up the backup process in Google Photos.
5. Enable Background App Refresh (iOS)
Even with 4GB of RAM in the latest iPhone lineup, the iOS operating system lacks true multitasking capabilities like Android. However, Apple provides a Background App Refresh option to keep the app busy in the background.
If you encounter a slow Google Photos loading on iPhone, I highly recommend enabling the option from the iPhone Settings app.
Open the Settings app on iPhone and scroll down to Google Photos. Enable Background App Refresh for Google Photos.
6. Keep the Google Photos App Open (iOS)
Even if you have enabled Background App Refresh for Google Photos, iOS system has a habit of pausing apps in the background. This behavior eventually slows or stops the media upload process for apps like Google Photos and OneDrive.
If you run into media backup issues, you should keep your app open during the installation process. I’m following this method to get all the photos from the Apple Photos app to be uploaded to the Google Photos app. Background Google Photos backup was pretty unreliable on my iPhone XR.
7. Clear Cache (Android)
Google Photos on Android uses the device cache to store data. Using this trick, Google Photos can quickly access all the photos and videos you’ve opened before. Over time, it can take up several GBs of space on your device, which can slow down the backup process.
Tap and hold the Google Photos icon and select the info button. Go to Storage > Clear Cache and see if it fixes the backup issue for you.
8. Update Google Photos App
Google regularly releases Google Photos updates on Android and iOS. The slow loading process in Google Photos may be due to the buggy build released by the company.
Fortunately, Google fixes such problems quickly with updates. You must open the App Store or Play Store and update the Google Photos app to the latest version.
9. Check Google Servers
The problem may be caused by Google, not by you. If Google services are all the rage, you may encounter a slow loading process in the Google Photos service. In this case, you have no choice but to wait for Google to fix the problem.
Go to downdetector.com and find out if Google services are working as expected.
You can easily fix slow backup process on Google Photos by using the above tricks. The real magic of Google Photos comes only when you back up your photos and videos on the Google service. If you’re experiencing a slow loading process in Google Photos, follow the troubleshooting steps outlined above. While you’re here, let us know which option worked for you in the comments section below.
Next: Looking to take the Google Photos experience on the web to the next level? Read the post below to learn the eleven best Google Photos keyboard shortcuts.