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Google Photos Uploads Pics Even After You Uninstall

Android users, check your settings!

Google Photos image library Credit: Google

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When Google Photos was released in May, it received glowing reviews from users. The service is designed to compete with the likes of Flickr, Dropbox, and Apple iCloud, offering unlimited photo and video storage and apps for Android, iOS, and PC web browsers.

But if you're one of the few who tried the service, didn't like it, and deleted the app, you might be in for a nasty surprise. If you're using an Android Device, it may still be uploading your shots to Google Photos.

The quirk has so far only been confirmed on Android devices.

The quirk, which so far has only been confirmed on Android devices, was discovered by David A. Arnott of the Nashville Business Journal. He noticed that hundreds of his family photos had appeared on Google Photos, even after he deleted the app.

{{amazon name="Android Programming: Pushing the Limits", asin="1118717376", align="right"}} The reason why is pretty simple: Your phone checks its core Google settings—as opposed to the settings in the Google Photos app itself—to determine whether images should be backed up to the Google cloud. If you want to tell your device to stop uploading, simply turn photo backup off in the Google Settings menu. (Go to Google Settings > Google Photo Backup.)

There's no word yet on whether Google plans to address this quirk in future updates, but our hunch is that they probably will.

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