Google has officially confirmed that the old Google+ Photos will be shutting down starting August 1, initially on Android, and soon thereafter on the Web and iOS. The move is mostly an attempt to streamline the newly launched Google Photos announced back in May.
Google is now urging users to switch to the recently launched Google Photos Service that is now available on iOS and Android. The company says that with the new photo application service, users will still be able to backup, edit, and share their photos and videos, and also offers unlimited storage, automatic organization, and a few more nifty changes.
“If you’re still using Google+ Photos, now is a great time to make the switch. You may have seen a prompt in Google+ Photos on Android with a link to download the new Google Photos. Don’t worry, all your photos and videos will still be saved and available after you switch to the new, stand-alone Google Photos app. With the new app you’ll still be able to backup, edit, and share your photos and videos, with unlimited storage, automatic organization, and more,” explains Google.
In addition, the company clearly said that users who do not want to switch or update to the new Google Photos service will not be able to use Google+ Photos on their phones since the app will momentarily stop functioning.
Despite the changes, all your photos and videos will still be available and will remain safely stored and can be used for export using Google Takeout. Interested users can now try the new Google Photos for Android for free on the Play store, while the app is fully streamlined with all devices running Android 4.0 and above.
Meanwhile, the head of Google Photos Anil Sabharwal went on to add that similarities between the two services was the primary reason for the closure of Google+ Photos.
