Google Photos Brings Express Backup for Android Users in India

Express backup option in Google Photos is finally expanding to all Android users in India. After piloting the Express backup for select Android users in the country in December last year, Google on Tuesday stated that it has started to roll out the feature to more users in the country this week. The Express backup option will reach all Android users in India with the latest version of Google Photos by the end of the week. The Express backup option can be found in Backup settings in the Google Photos app.

According to Google, the Express backup option is aimed at consumers who struggle to find good data connections but are still looking to store their photos on Google's cloud. The Express backup, unlike High quality or Original quality backups, stores the photos at a reduced resolution, allowing quicker upload without the need for a high-speed data connection.

“Express provides faster backup at a reduced resolution, making it easier to ensure memories are saved even when you might have poor or infrequent Wi-Fi connectivity,” wrote Raja Ayyagari, Product Manager, Google Photos, in a blog post.

The company revealed that photos saved using Express backup are reduced to 3-megapixel resolution, whereas uploaded videos will be reduced to 480p. The search giant also remarks that closed captions or some other information may be lost from the videos while using Express backup.

In addition to the Express backup, Google is also introducing a new Data Cap option for backup, which will give the users control over how much data Google Photos can use daily for backups. The Data Cap can be as low as 5MB.

It is important to note here that the original backup options – High quality and Original quality – will continue to be available to users in India.

Express backup will be reaching to other markets slowly. The company is yet to share a timeline for the expansion, but it said that Express backup will be coming to “dozens” of countries.