Should Photos Be Backed up to the Cloud

In today’s digital age, photos hold a significant place in our lives. We capture every moment, from the first day of school to the wedding day and every milestone in between. With the ease of smartphones and digital cameras, we can capture thousands of photos within seconds. But with this convenience comes the risk of losing them. That’s why cloud storage has become so popular, and it’s a great way to keep your photos safe. However, the question remains, should you back up your photos on a device before sending them to the cloud storage? Let’s explore the answer.

First, let’s define what cloud storage is. Cloud storage is a service that allows you to store your digital data, such as photos, videos, and documents, on a remote server that you can access via the internet. It’s like having an online hard drive that you can access from anywhere and on any device. The most popular cloud storage services are Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox, and OneDrive.

Now, let’s talk about the importance of backing up your photos on a device before sending them to the cloud storage. While cloud storage is a safe and reliable way to store your photos, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. By backing up your photos on a device, you have an extra layer of protection against data loss.

One of the main reasons for backing up your photos on a device before sending them to the cloud storage is to ensure that you have a local copy. If for any reason, you lose access to your cloud storage account or if the cloud storage provider goes out of business, you will still have a local copy of your photos on your device. Or, the provider’s server may have a dummy spit and whalla the photos of your precious memories are also gone. This will save you the hassle of having to retrieve them from the cloud or worse, losing them forever.

Another reason to back up your photos on a device is to avoid potential privacy breaches. Although cloud storage services have strong security measures in place, there is always a risk of data breaches. By keeping a copy of your photos on your device, you have better control over your privacy and can take additional measures to protect your data.

Furthermore, backing up your photos on a device can also save you time and money. Uploading large files, such as high-resolution photos, can take a long time and can consume a lot of internet bandwidth. By backing up your photos on a device, you can avoid the hassle of uploading them to the cloud, and in turn, save on your internet bills.

So how do you save your photos from your mobile phone onto a local storage device, i.e. laptop or external hard drive?  There are a number of strategies for you can do this.  Some more simple than others.  Here are a few ideas:.

  1. If you have a Samsung Galaxy phone the charger cord which plugs into your phone and into a USB or your power plug also acts as a connector to import your photos from your phone to your laptop.  No need for any other connecter.  Simply allow both devices to read each other and away you go.  Your photos will be imported to your photos media section of your laptop and you can even select the ones you want to keep.  You can also clear the photos once imported from your phone to enable more space for future photos you decide to take.
  2. If you have an iPhone you can set your phone to auto back up to send them to iCloud.  However, in saying this some people have found when they have accessed their iCloud account the photos don’t appear.  So, it is best to have a local copy first.  To do this you will need Apple’s Lighting connector with USB C or USB A connection.  This way you can transfer your photos to another device to then store on a laptop or external hard drive.
  3. Some people do things on a rather long way around but hey if it works for them, then so be it.  Simply email your photos to your email account and download them from there.  Now remember you can use a lot of internet data doing this and you may have to email each photo separately due to size of the photo in order to be able to retrieve them, without them being compressed.
  4. Take your phone to a phone repair provider to see if they can restore the photos onto your phone.  Or, if you are with Apple then take your phone to an Apple dealer and provide your Apple ID to see if they can restore the photos you have lost.  (You may want to access your iCloud account first and input the date of the photos (or at least the first date of the photos) into the search bar to ascertain if you can access them this way.

These are the 4 main ways to import your photos to an external device before backing up your photos to the cloud.  Remember once you have restored any lost photos ensure you save to a local hard drive or laptop.  Maybe you have another strategy that works for you.  If so, please let up know. 

In conclusion, whilst cloud storage can be a safe and reliable way to store your photos, it is always better to have an extra layer of protection. By backing up your photos on an external device before sending them to the cloud storage you have a local copy.  You also avoid potential privacy breaches; avoid losing your photos in the cloud if the cloud’s server goes down; as well as save time and money. It is a small effort that can save you from losing precious memories forever.

Reference: Everything Caravan & Camping Facebook Group

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