G+ shutdown WILL affect Local Guides Contributions to Google Maps.
Google will LOOSE Millions of Contribution Pictures to Google Maps (affecting Local Guides’ Levels too), UNLESS something is implemented by Google.
→ CHECK PAGES 2 & 3 for Tests and Proofs.
Hi,
I’m VERY concerned.
Will the shutdown of Google+ affect the pictures I uploaded to Google Maps?
I have over 6 millions views.
And I don’t understand why several of the Pictures that I uploaded to Maps DIRECTLY from the app appear on my Google+ albums. I never uploaded any picture to Google+.
Please help me to understand what happen, and if I will really need to re-upload hundreds of pictures… (a terrible nightmare!!)
Don’t worry, Google+ shut down will not affect your photo contributions.
I used to have almost similar case, not from automatic sharing from Google Maps app to G+ but from Blogspot to G+. All I need to do was to check the settings and turned off the auto share to G+. I think you can try to check your Google+ app settings and disable the auto-upload of photos. Please check this link for more detailed steps https://en.softonic.com/articles/stop-auto-syncing-android-photos-google-plus
Photos and videos from Google+ in Album Archive and photos and videos from your Google+ brand account will be deleted as early as April 2, 2019. You can download and save your content, just make sure to do so before April.
Photos and videos backed up in Google Photos will not be deleted. Note that some photos and videos uploaded from Google+ may remain available in Google Photos. These photos and videos will remain in Google Photos after the Google+ shutdown:
Photos and videos uploaded to Google+ before Google Photos launched in 2015
Photos and videos backed up at any time using older versions of Google+ mobile apps (from 2015 or earlier)
Photos and videos that were associated with Google+ Events
If you’re unsure if these conditions apply and you want to keep your photos and videos from Google+, we recommend you download and save all photos and videos from Google+.
There was a time that during publishing to G+ it was possible to check a settings option “show also on Google Maps”. I thing that the best you can do is to download all your Google+ archive images - just in case, but it will not be necessary to upload them once again to Maps.
I never uploaded pictures other that from inside Maps app, so I suppose they are not affected by G+ shutdown
I think that when uploading Pictures for contribution to Maps from inside Maps app, they’re stored at Google Photos of my Google account (so I shouldn’t worry)
Don’t forget to check your Google Photos settings. If you choose to backup your photos/videos with Upload Size option - High quality (reduced/lower photo resolution quality, but still in good visual quality), you will have free unlimited storage for your photos and videos. But if you choose Original qualityoption (full/original resolution), all photos you upload will count against your free 15 GB storage limit.
For me, I have all my shots taken from my cellphone camera automatically backed up to Google Photos with Upload Size option - High quality enabled to stay within the storage limit, and I also only upload my shots to Google Maps through Google Photos.
I believe I’m on the same boat but I’m not that optimistic. The fact I understand is, sometime before 2017, Gmap contribution photos were somehow “automatically” saved inside of the Album Archive “G+ Photos from posts” . So I have around 4000 photos inside that G+ album folder. And I never used G+ to post/upload a single photo.
According to this post, which is probably the only answer so far, they said they will be deleted too.
I did test to delete one of the photos in that G+ archive, and it sure disappears from Gmap.
So I might lost 20+ millions of views, 20K+ of contribute points. Very frustrated.
Google made the switch sometime after Jul.2017, after that time the contribution photos are no longer linked to the Google+ archives. So people joined Local Guides after that shouldn’t be affected.
Didn’t Google implement any way to transfer those pictures to Google Photos WITHOUT needing to download then re-upload them (and all the VERY hard work of uploading to EACH correct place)??
inside of the Album Archive“G+ Photos from posts”, and I found MOST of my Pictures Contributions there!
Since 2016-05 to 2017-08, sadly the most valuable ones.
So they will be deleted, and most of the 6+ Millions Views lost!
WHAT A DISASTER… This is so frustrating and unfair.
Those Contribution Pictures are there due to some WRONG reason out of my control,BECAUSE I NEVER uploaded Pictures to G+ NOR any Post.
I did upload ALL of them using Google Maps app.
- I can’t believe that Google doesn’t offer a way to transfer those pictures to somewhere else, besides just “downloading”, before deleting from Maps (since they appear inside G+ by wrong reason), hence loosing all Views, Points, Level and so on.
I spent so much time taking Professional quality HDR pictures, editing perspective, etc., to give Best Possible Contributions.
Not sure if I’ll keep contributions… I cannot upload every picture to the specific place again…
Hi @AdriansyahPutera before Google Photos came along, Maps contributions were linked to the g+ album in that they were visible but they aren’t the same copy. I was surprised to see the report of deleting an image from g+ also deleted the content from Maps. After Google Photos came on the scene the linked copy went there (these are also visible in Drive). Even then deleting one should not affect the other.
The guidance we’ve been given is that g+ sunset will not impact Maps in any way.
Can you please provide concrete evidence of this, what was the photo, complete URL from g+ album and the complete URL from Maps? Exactly how did you test this?
Just as an aside you’re not supposed to contribute HDR images to Maps.
Stylistic adjustments (such as applied filters) are acceptable, provided that these stylistic changes are minimal and are not appended elements such as borders, text, collaged images, etc.
Content that makes it difficult for others to understand the environment you’re sharing may be rejected.
Examples are excessively dark or blurry images, significantly rotated compositions, and use of filters that dramatically alter the representation of the place.
There is no words in Google rules that HDRs are forbidden. You can use HDR images but they should look “natural”.
For example in dark churches to see a beauty of inside and colors of stained glass windows sometimes is needed 5-7 expositions fused into one image.
Hi @JacekNK I’m aware of how HDR works and most HDR does not look natural. Great if yours do and that is fine. As a general statement they should not be contributed because the vast majority of HDR imagery is not natural looking at all. So most of the time HDR does not fit in with “minimal” stylistic changes.
So these images were contributed via the Street View API and not via either the Maps or Street View Apps? This is one permutation that I’ve not seen discussed. @user_not_found can you give an opinion on this thread please?
As a general statement they should not be contributed because the vast majority of HDR imagery is not natural looking at all. So most of the time HDR does not fit in with “minimal” stylistic changes.
Paul. It’s your opinion, not Google official statement, you should indicate this by providing advice, as a person “connected” to Google.
Not only Street View images are affected by displaying in G+ photos from posts album. It’s possible to find in this album also traditional photographies contributed directly only to the Map. @user_not_found - the reference id is: 128258665
-MOST IMPORTANT thing: Is this problem being really escalated to Google?
Because it WILL affect millions of Pictures contributions to Maps.
Side note about HDR: My HDR pictures are so natural that you would be happy to see. Never oversaturated nor unnatural in any way, nor with any kind of filter. The ONLY purpose is to show the place as natural as when seeing with your eyes, nothing else.
They are “HDR” ONLY when it was needed to give most natural look due to limited Dynamic range of Camera’s sensors compared to human eyes.
I really appreciate the comment, but please let’s try to keep the focus on the pictures that are WRONGLY in G+ as mentioned above (cause LOT of contributors ALWAYS uploaded them using official Google Maps app for Android) that will be deleted.
Thank you very much for all support that all of you can give.
- I DID CONFIRM (with a Picture that had few views) what @rangersh said:
Deleting a picture from that G+ Photo Album “Photos from posts” (I never uploaded pictures there nor posted, only uploaded Contribution Pictures using official Google Maps app) makes it disappear from Maps, decreasing your Local Guide Level Points, etc…
THIS IS REALLY SERIOUS.
Google Maps will loose millions of contribution pictures and affect contributors too.
It’s hard to believe that Local Guides Team is not aware of this (with the reply they sent to me hours ago)
@JacekNK the guidance I gave you about HDR is given from a member of the Maps team during a talk at an invitation event, but as I said if your HDR are natural then go right ahead and put them up
@PabloVL@rangersh I have made contact with a member of the g+ developer team via the shutdown community and have asked them to read this post here on Connect - I can’t assure you that they will respond but they might.
I have some possible news @PabloVL apparently the photos from posts album itself will not be deleted when g+ is deleted. Photos in that album that were contributed from g+ will get deleted. Photos from other sources it is suggested will not.
If you visit the Photos from posts album it now has this header text “Photos and videos from Google+ in your album archive will be deleted as early as 2 April 2019. Learn more” which does strongly suggest the other images will remain. This album is an archive from all your contributions and is not part of g+.
Your test is flawed because you deleted an image from the album which will have the impact you described. In theory when g+ content is deleted the photos from other sources (Maps, Blogger, Hangouts, etc) should remain.
