How to Upload Photos to Google from iPhone 2023

Written by Tanja Google Workplace

- 5 min read

One of the greatest features that Google Drive offers, is the opportunity for iOS users to store and backup photos. Basically, it is the same as iCloud but better, since now Google Drive gives users the option to start with 15 GB free storage space.

Google Drive on iPhone

Note: If you want to transfer a lot of photos, you should do it via Wi-Fi because if you try to upload them via your regular data plan, it will cost you more and the process will be slow compared to uploading via wi-fi.

So, if this is something you want to try out at some point, keep on reading. We’ll walk you through the steps on how to upload photos to Google Drive from your iPhone.

How to upload photos to Google Drive from an iPhone manually

  1. First, download and install the Google Drive app on your iPhone mobile device from the App Store.
  2. Open the app and log into your Google account.
  3. Next, tap to select the folder you want to use. You can tap on the Plus (+) icon at the bottom right corner and then you can create a new folder to store your photos.

Google Drive

  1. Then, tap on the Plus (+) icon on the screen.
  2. Choose Upload from the options.

Google Drive

  1. Then, choose the files you want to upload by selecting Photos and Videos to upload the files you want.
  2. In case you haven’t uploaded photos from your iPhone before, Google Drive will ask you for access to your photos and videos. Just tap on ‘OK’.
  3. Simply, select the pictures you want to upload and once the picture is selected, it will be marked with a blue check.

And that is all. After selecting the photos, just tap on the ‘Upload' button that is on the top right corner of your screen and your images will be uploaded to Google Drive as wanted.

How to upload photos to Google Drive from an iPhone automatically

You can also upload photos from your iPhone automatically and for this you need to use Google Drive backup and sync service. If you practice this option, your photos and videos will be saved to your Google Photos library. Also, anything that you change and edit to those photos or videos will be also synced on every device you open.

Follow these steps to enable the backup and sync service on your iPhone:

  1. Download Google Photos app for iOS.
  2. Launch the app and sign in to your Google Account.
  3. Then, tap on the Menu icon with three horizontal lines that are at the top of your screen.
  4. Next, choose Settings from the given options.
  5. You will be redirected to a new window and from there, tap on Back up & sync.
  6. Then, toggle the Back up & sync switch to turn it On.

Google Drive

  1. You may see a message asking you to allow the app to access your iPhone photos. Click on Allow to give Google Photos to your iPhone photos.

Google Drive

Those were the steps for the Google Photos app and now you also need to adjust your iPhone Settings. Follow these steps to do so.

  1. Open iPhone Settings as you would usually do.
  2. Then, tap on Privacy and then select Photos.
  3. Toggle the switch to turn Google photos On.

A thing to Note: In both ways, whether manually or automatically, you don’t have to allow any configuration. If the backup and sync services are disabled, your photos will be automatically synchronized.

How to be sure that the upload is successful

There is a way to check if the upload of your photos was successful or not. Follow these simple steps to learn how you can do that:

  1. Open the Apple Photos app and look for the total number of pictures.

Apple Photos App

  1. Also, open icloud.com/photos and check the number of photos there.
  2. Open the Google dashboard and check the total number of photos in Google Drive. The number should match if there were no other pictures or videos already on Google Drive.

Have you accidentally deleted photos from your gallery and now you want to restore them? Check out how to restore deleted photos from your gallery regardless if it's from your phone gallery, Google Drive, iCloud, Android backup services or Google Photos.