How To Import iPhone Photos to Google Photos

To import iPhone photos to Google Photos, install the Google Photos app, turn on Backup, and let your library upload over Wi-Fi.

Moving your iPhone photos to Google Photos keeps your pictures in one place across iPhone, Android, and any browser. You also gain handy search tools, smart albums, and extra backup in case your phone is lost or damaged.

This article walks through the safest ways to move iPhone photos into Google Photos, from quick automatic backup on your phone to a full iCloud transfer and a computer method that gives you more control over what goes across.

Why Move iPhone Photos To Google Photos

Many iPhone owners keep pictures only in the Apple Photos app without a second cloud copy. When storage fills up or a phone stops working, that can turn into a stressful scramble. Google Photos gives you an extra copy in your Google Account and makes the same library easy to reach from almost any device.

Once your iPhone photos sit in Google Photos, you can open them in a browser, on an Android phone, a Chromebook, or a smart TV that has the app. You are not locked to one device or one platform, and you can move phones without worrying about where your pictures live.

Google Photos also adds smart search and editing tools. The service can group faces, places, and objects so you can type a simple term like “beach” or a friend’s name instead of scrolling through thousands of thumbnails. Recent updates on iOS add text-based editing with the “Help me edit” option, which lets you describe changes and apply them in one go.

Prepare Your iPhone And Google Photos Account

Before you import iPhone photos to Google Photos, take a short moment to set things up. That reduces the chance of stalled uploads, missing pictures, or storage errors mid-transfer.

Check Wi-Fi Connection — Use a stable Wi-Fi network so large photo and video uploads do not eat through mobile data or pause halfway.
Charge Or Plug In Your iPhone — Long uploads drain the battery, so start with a high charge or leave the phone on a charger.
Install Or Update Google Photos — Open the App Store, search for Google Photos, and install or update to the latest version.
Sign In To The Right Google Account — Open Google Photos and sign in with the account where you want your iPhone photos to live.
Review Google Account Storage — Your photos count against the shared storage pool across Drive, Gmail, and Photos. You can see available space and plans in the Google One app or on the web.
Decide If You Use iCloud Photos — If iCloud Photos is already on, you can use Apple’s online transfer tool later for a library-wide move.

Quick Checklist Before You Start

Item	Where To Check	Why It Matters
Wi-Fi And Data	Settings > Wi-Fi / Mobile Data	Slow or weak networks can leave Google Photos stuck on “Preparing backup.”
Battery Level	Status bar or Control Center	Uploads pause or fail if your iPhone runs low on power.
Google Storage	Google One app or web storage page	Low storage prevents new photos from importing until you clear space or upgrade.

How To Import iPhone Photos To Google Photos Automatically

The simplest way to import iPhone photos into Google Photos is to let the app handle backups in the background. Once set, every new shot can head straight to your Google Account with almost no effort from you.

Turn On Backup In The Google Photos App

Open Google Photos On iPhone — Launch the app and sign in with your main Google Account.
Grant Access To Your Photos — When iOS asks for permission, choose full access so the app can see your Camera Roll. Limited access will hide many pictures from backup.
Open Backup Settings — Tap your profile picture in the top corner, then choose the menu item for Google Photos settings, then Backup.
Turn On Backup — Toggle Backup to On. This tells Google Photos to import photos and videos from your iPhone library into the cloud.
Pick Backup Quality — Choose Original quality if you want full-resolution copies, or Storage saver if you prefer smaller files to stretch your Google storage further.
Limit Mobile Data If Needed — In Backup settings, look for options that control uploads on mobile data and videos. Turn those off if your data plan is tight.

Google explains these steps for iPhone in its Google Photos iPhone backup help, which also shows how to check whether backup has finished.

Manually Import Selected iPhone Photos

Sometimes you do not want the entire Camera Roll inside Google Photos, just a batch of holiday shots or work pictures. The app lets you choose exactly which items to import.

Turn Backup Off Temporarily — In Google Photos settings, switch Backup off so the app does not upload everything.
Select The Photos You Want — In the Photos tab, touch and hold on one photo, then drag your finger to select a run of images or tap each one you want.
Tap Back Up — Once your photos are selected, tap Back up at the top. Google Photos uploads only those chosen items.
Turn Backup Back On (Optional) — If you later decide you want automatic imports again, you can re-enable Backup in settings.

How To Transfer iCloud Photos To Google Photos Online

If you already store your entire library in iCloud Photos, Apple offers an online tool that sends a copy of that library straight to Google Photos. You trigger the request from a browser; Apple and Google handle the copying in the background.

Start The iCloud To Google Photos Transfer

Visit Apple’s Data And Privacy Page — On a computer or in Safari, go to Apple’s data and privacy site and sign in with your Apple ID.
Choose Transfer A Copy Of Your Data — Select the option to move a copy of content stored in iCloud Photos.
Select Google Photos As The Destination — Pick Google Photos as the service that should receive your photos and videos, then follow the prompts to sign in with your Google Account.
Confirm And Submit The Request — Review the overview screen, then confirm the transfer.
Wait For The Transfer To Finish — Apple notes that the process can take several days. The time window lets Apple verify that you started the request and copy each file safely.

What Carries Over From iCloud Photos

The Apple transfer tool copies the main content from iCloud Photos into Google Photos but skips some special formats and views.

Photos And Videos — Standard photo formats like JPG and PNG plus many video types move across. Some RAW formats may convert during transfer.
Albums — Regular albums move when possible, while videos arrive as separate items. Album names and some structure carry over, but not every folder type.
Edits And Duplicates — The most recent edit of a photo moves across. Duplicates count as a single item in the transfer.

Certain things do not move: shared albums, smart albums, photo stream content, some metadata, and some Live Photos or RAW files. In Google Photos you may see more single images instead of animated pictures, and some folders from iCloud will not exist.

How To Import iPhone Photos To Google Photos With A Computer

If you prefer a hands-on method, you can pull pictures from your iPhone to a Mac or Windows PC and then upload only the folders you want into Google Photos. This works well when you want to clean up old albums while you import.

Copy Photos From iPhone To A Computer

Connect Your iPhone With USB — Plug the iPhone into your computer and enter your passcode so files are visible.
On A Mac, Use The Photos App Or Image Capture — Import recent shots into a new album or export them to a folder on your desktop.
On Windows, Use The Photos App Or The Windows File Browser — Open the iPhone under Devices and browse the DCIM folders, then copy photos to a local folder.
Organize Folders Before Upload — Rename folders by trip or year so Google Photos albums are easy to read later.

Upload From Computer To Google Photos

Open photos.google.com — In a desktop browser, sign in with the Google Account where you want to keep your iPhone photos.
Click Upload — Choose Computer, then select either individual files or folders with groups of photos.
Select Backup Quality — Match the same Original or Storage saver setting you use in the app so your library stays consistent.
Wait For Uploads To Finish — Keep the browser tab open until progress bars complete, especially for large video files.

Choose The Best Way To Import iPhone Photos To Google Photos

Each import method has a slightly different feel. This comparison table helps you pick the path that fits your setup and patience level.

Method	Best When	Control Level
Google Photos App Backup	You want every new iPhone photo to head to Google automatically.	Medium — you choose backup quality and data limits, but not each single photo.
Apple iCloud Online Transfer	Your entire library already sits in iCloud Photos and you want a one-time copy in Google Photos.	Low — Apple sends almost everything in bulk with limited item-level choice.
Computer Import	You prefer to review folders on a bigger screen and only upload cleaned albums.	High — you decide exactly which folders and files move across.

Fix Common Google Photos Import Problems On iPhone

Even with the right steps, iPhone photo imports into Google Photos sometimes stall or skip files. Most issues come from network glitches, low storage, or permission settings.

Backup Stuck On “Preparing” Or “Waiting For Connection”

Refresh The Backup Status — Open Google Photos, tap your profile picture, then swipe down on the main screen to trigger a status check.
Confirm Backup Is On — In settings, open Backup and make sure the toggle is enabled and the correct Google Account is listed.
Switch Wi-Fi Networks — Move closer to your router or try a different network. If the network blocks large uploads, use another connection.
Keep The App Open — On many iPhones, Google Photos uploads faster while the app stays on-screen and the phone is not locked.

Google Photos Says Storage Is Full

Check Storage In Google One — Open the Google One app or web page to see how much space Photos, Drive, and Gmail share.
Clean Up Large Items — In Google Photos, sort by videos or use storage management tools to remove clips you no longer need.
Switch To Storage Saver Quality — In Backup settings, change from Original to Storage saver so new uploads take less space. Existing photos stay as they are.
Consider A Higher Storage Plan — If your iPhone library is huge, an upgraded storage plan through Google One may be cheaper than trimming every album.

Missing Live Photos Or Albums After iCloud Transfer

Know What Apple’s Transfer Tool Sends — The transfer service focuses on standard photo and video formats. Some Live Photos turn into still images and some albums never move over.
Check Album Limits — Google Photos can store only so many items in a single album. Extra items still appear in your main library but may not belong to the original album name.
Rebuild Main Albums Manually — After the transfer, create new albums in Google Photos and add the pictures you care about most.
Keep iCloud Photos As A Second Copy — Since the Apple tool sends a copy instead of moving files, you retain a backup in iCloud while you tidy the Google Photos side.

Smart Habits So Your iPhone Photos Stay Safe In Google Photos

Once you learn how to import iPhone photos to Google Photos, a few simple habits keep the backup system healthy over time.

Open Google Photos Regularly — Launch the app every few days so new pictures and clips finish uploading.
Connect To Wi-Fi Before Big Imports — Before a holiday batch or a long video upload, connect to a strong network to avoid incomplete copies.
Scan Backup Status Once In A While — Tap your profile picture and check that the status line reads “Backup complete” or shows clear progress.
Watch Both iCloud And Google Storage — If you keep photos in both services, clear old screenshots and duplicates so neither account hits its storage cap.
Keep A Computer Copy For Special Albums — For once-in-a-lifetime events, store an extra archive on an external drive as insurance beyond cloud backups.

With these methods, you can import iPhone photos to Google Photos in a way that matches your habits, whether you want automatic backup that quietly runs in the background or a one-time library copy while you switch devices. Once everything sits safely in Google Photos, your memories stay reachable from almost any screen you use.