UPDATE 3 on 27th November: Added yet another method that will help you get unlimited free Google Photos storage just by flashing a single module!
UPDATE 2 on 14th August 2024: Added a method to spoof your device to Pixel 9 Pro and get 2TB free storage for Google One for up to 1 year! We aren’t just talking about Google Photos, this includes all the Google Apps, including Drive!]. Scroll to the end of this guide to know more.
UPDATE 1 on November 9th, 2022: Added a new method that will give you unlimited photo storage in Original Quality instead of Storage Saver!.
In this guide, we will show you the steps to get free unlimited Google Photos storage on any Android device. This article has been written after Google announced that they would stop offering unlimited free High-Quality Storage. Now, they would rather cap it at 15GB, after which you will have to shell out some bucks. However, there exist two workarounds through which you could still get free unlimited Google Photos storage on your device. Before we list out the instructions, here’s a quick recap of the latest development surrounding the news.
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Google Photos High-Quality Storage is Now Capped
So just a few days back, Google dropped a bombshell announcing that they would no longer offer free unlimited storage. As of now, the Silicon Valley giants offer unlimited High-Quality and 15GB Original Quality storage. The former is a loss-less compression technique used by Google that squeezes the image by a huge margin but without compromising on the image resolution.
As far as the Original Quality goes, well it is as its name suggests, the images and videos were saved in their original format. However, the storage for the same was limited to 15GB.
For most users, the High Quality was able to checkmark their daily requirements plus it offered free unlimited storage, hence there was no need for a second thought. But all this now changing. Google will now count the High-Quality storage against the 15GB storage. This 15GB is the same storage that is shared across all your Google services (including Drive as well). This rule is going to be active from June 1st, 2021.
All the media files that you will be storing till that date won’t be counted against this limit. But the uploads that will take place from that date onwards will count against your quota of 15GB. The only ones escaping all these restrictions are the Google Pixel devices. UPDATE: Now even newer Pixel devices (Pixel 6 series and later) won’t give you unlimited storage.
So most of you might be interested in knowing how could a non-Pixel device get the same perks. Well, this guide will help you achieve just that. Today we will show you how to get unlimited Google Photos storage on any Android. Follow along for detailed instructions.
Get Free Unlimited Google Photos Storage on Android [Non-Root]
This method is rather a nifty workaround in which we will only be twisting the offering from Google to our needs. So here’s the thing. Google after the new rule, only offers 15GB of High-Quality storage. This cap is associated with your Google account that you have signed in with. But there’s no restriction whatsoever as to the total number of Google accounts that you could create.
As of now, I am currently running around 5 Google Accounts on my Android device which in total is offering me 95GB of free space. Hence, I have set the Google Photos settings to always save the images and videos in the Original uncompressed quality rather than the usual High compressed quality. When one account gets filled up, I move over to the next one, and so on.
As far as creating a new Google account goes, well it’s pretty simple. Just head over to the Google Sign Up page, type in your desired email address, enter a strong password and that’s it. If you are looking to carry out this step on your Android device, then launch any of your preferred Google apps on your device.
Let’s take Gmail as an example. Now tap on your avatar situated at the top-right and then tap on Add another account. Select Gmail from the list and then follow the on-screen instructions and your new Google account with 15GB of free space will be created in no time whatsoever. So this was all from the non-rooted method to getting free unlimited Google Photos storage on any Android device. let’s now turn our attention to the second one.
Get Free Unlimited Storage on Google Photos [Root Method]
Well, this has been personally my favorite method. In this, we would be converting our device to one of the Pixel devices. Then all you have to do is sign in with your existing Google ID. When you do so, Google will identify that the account is now associated with a Google Pixel device and your account will then automatically qualify for unlimited free Photos storage. So while rooting is considered by many to be a risky process but the plethora of perks associated with it all makes up for it. On that note, let’s get on with the instructions set.
First and foremost, your device needs to be rooted. Do keep in mind that the entire rooting process might be risky for some of you out there. If you don’t have much clue regarding this, then we would suggest you stick with the non-root method. However, if you are ready to plunge into the rooting scenes, then you are more than welcome. Droidwin and its members wouldn’t be held responsible in case of a thermonuclear war, your alarm doesn’t wake you up, or if anything happens to your device and data by performing the below steps.
METHOD 1: Using Magisk Module
You just need to flash a single module and your task stands complete. Here’s how:
- To begin with, root your device via Magisk.
- Then download the Free-Unlimited-Google-Cloud-Backup-Magisk-Module.
- Now launch Magisk, go to Modules, and tap on Install from Storage.
- Then select the module and flash it. Once done, hit Reboot.
- Finally, delete the data of the Google Photos app [optional but recommended].
- That’s it. You should have unlimited Google Photos Storage in Original Quality.
METHOD 2: Using Pixelify Module
This mod will spoof your device to Pixel 1, thereby giving you unlimited storage in Original Quality [instead of Storage Saver]! Apart from that, it will give you the option to add a plethora of other Pixel-related goodies [listed after the instructions]. Moreover, this module supports numerous OS builds [including the latest Android 13] and supports numerous Android devices and custom OS skins as well. So without any further ado, let’s check it out.
- First off, root your device using this guide: How to Root Android Device via Magisk.
- Then launch the Magisk app and tap on the Settings icon situated at the top right.
- After that, enable the toggle next to Zygisk and restart your device.
- Then download the Pixelify Module from GitHub and transfer it to your device.
- Now launch the Magisk App, go to the Modules section, and tap on Install from Storage.
- Navigate to the downloaded module and select it. It will now ask you to flash a few additional features.
- Press Volume Up to reply YES or Volume Down to reply No. Finally, hit Reboot on the last screen that appears.
- Once your device boots up, go to Settings > Apps > select Google Photos.
- Then go to its Storage section and tap on Delete Data > Delete.
- Now launch Google Photos and sign in to your account. You will now see the following message across the app:
This Pixel can back up unlimited photos and videos at no charge.
- That’s it. Your device has now been spoofed to Pixel with free unlimited Google Photos storage.
Pixelify Module Features ........................ Pixel 6 Live Wallpapers* Magic Eraser (USE THIS APK)(7+) Google Dialer Direct Call (12+) New At a Glance feature (12+ & Dec+ Patch) Google Quick Pharse* Google Next Generation Assistant Typing (Next Generation Assistant Required)* Call Caption Typing (12+) Live Captions different language Adaptive Charging (Google SystemUI) Adaptive Connectivity (11+) Adaptive Sound (11+)* Battery Widget (Working depends on rom) Call Captions (11+)(Depends on Rom) Enables Nexus, Pixel, and Android One app support Extreme Battery Saver (11+) [ Settings > Battery > Battery Saver > Extreme Battery Saver -12 ] Google Dialer Call Screening Google Dialer Hold for me Google Dialer Call Recording (Device depended for working) Google Digital Wellbeing Heads up Google Duo features Google Fit Heart rate Google Fit Respiratory rate Live captions (10+) Next Generation Assistant* (10+)(Optional) Now Playing Export* (Works only on Pixel Phone) Pixel Device spoofing (Optional) Pixel Blue theme accent Pixel bootanimation (Optional) Pixel Launcher (10+)(Optional) Pixel Live Wallpapers (Optional) Pokemon SideKick Live Wallpaper (Optional-Included with LiveWallpapers) Portrait Light (10+) Screen Attention Service Smart Compose Unlimited Photos backup (Storage saver) Unlimited Photos backup (original) (needs Zygisk or Riru)
METHOD 3: Using PFLite Minimal Mode
This will spoof your device to Pixel 3XL thereby giving you unlimited Google Photos Storage at Original Quality till 31 January 2022 and in Storage Saver after 31 January 2022. [Looking to get Original Quality forever? Check out Method 1 and 2 instead].
- First off, refer to our guide to root your device: How to Root Android Device via Magisk Patched Boot
- Once rooted, you will then have to download the PFLite.MINIMAL.v2.0.P3XL.zip module from GitHub.
- This module will spoof your current Android device to Pixel 3XL and will let you enjoy the associated goodies as well.
- Anyway, after downloading the module, transfer it to your device.
- Then launch the Magisk Manager app on your device.
- Tap on the module icon situated at the bottom right.
- Next up, select the Install from Storage option. Navigate to the PFLite.MINIMAL.v2.0.P3XL.zip file and select it.
- Magisk will now begin the flashing process which should take only a couple of seconds. Once that is done, tap on the blue Reboot situated at the bottom.
- Once the device reboots, it’s time to delete the Google Photos app data and cache. Don’t worry you wouldn’t lose any data as they are stored in the clouds. So head over to Settings > Apps and Notifications > See all xx apps > Scroll to Google Photos > Storage and Cache > Tap on Clear Storage. Hit OK in the confirmation dialog box that appears.
- Now launch the Google Photos app and you would be greeted with the message that you get unlimited free storage for full-resolution photos and videos…..from your Pixel device.
- Now tap Next and you should now see the Free Backup at High Resolution under High Quality. Select it and tap Confirm.
- Go through the welcome screen to finish the setup. That’s it. You could even head over to your device’s About Phone section and verify that your device is indeed Google Pixel 3XL. I have carried these steps on my Motorola One Action, but as evident from the below screenshot, it has been spoofed into Pixel 3XL.
So this was all from this guide on how to get free unlimited Google Photos storage on any Android device. We have shared two different methods for the same. Well, the rooted method stands as my personal favorite, but others might not echo these thoughts as not everyone prefers to root their device, and that is completely understandable. Anyway, do let us know your opinion in the comments about the handy tips that we have shared.
Get 2TB Free Google One Storage [NEW]
We found a nifty workaround using which you can spoof your device to Pixel 9 Pro and get up to 2TB of free Google One storage. This isn’t just limited to Google Photos but is valid across all the Google apps and services, including Drive. However, before you try out this tweak, there are a couple of crucial points worth keeping in mind, namely:
- It is highly recommended that you try this tweak on your secondary account as Google might take action and suspend the account on which this account has been carried out [although I’ve been using unlimited Google Photos storage for ages and my account is still up and running, still let’s be safe than sorry].
- Not everyone is getting the 2TB storage for 1 year. Some are getting for 6 months, others for 3, and some even for just one single month. For some, this tweak didn’t even work out. So the mileage may vary for each user out there.
If that’s all well and good, then let’s get started with the instructions. Droidwin and its members wouldn’t be held responsible in case of a thermonuclear war, your alarm doesn’t wake you up, or if anything happens to your device and data by performing the below steps.
- To begin with, root your device via Magisk.
- Then download the Pixel 9 Pro Spoof mod.
- Next up, launch Magisk and go to Modules.
- Select Pixel 9 Pro Spoof module and flash it.
- Finally, hit Reboot and check out the result.
