2022
Following up on my initial message, a few weeks ago I mentioned the issue in another thread in Spanish, and a moderator told me that won't happen if I upload the photo direct..., that is, not using the options "Photos from phone" or "Your photos", but today I could verify that's not the case:
- I first downloaded some photos from Google Photos, deleted them in there and verified they were gone.
- I uploaded some of them from my computer to a few Google Maps reviews I had.
- Then, I went back to Google Photos and scrolled down where the photo should be based on its original date, and they were back!
- I deleted them again, as I want to contribute adding them to Google Maps BUT I don't want them in my Google Photos account anymore because, on one hand, they end up eating all my space and, on the other hand, I already manage them in my local computer/Dropbox, so I don't want to do that twice. I mainly use Google Photos as a temporary place to sync and backup the photos I take with my mobile until I decide what to do with them (move them to Dropbox and/or delete them, and some might get uploaded to Google Maps on the way).
- When I went back to the reviews where I added those pictures, this is what I found:
Any official solution/answer to this issue? What am I supposed to do if I want to download all my photos from Google Photos and then delete them all, from there while still keeping the ones I added to Google Maps in Google Maps and just in Google Maps.
I opened a thread on Product Forums to see if I can get an answer/solution from there: https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/maps/G86oxnmR2UQ;context-place=forum/maps
I quote it here:
Spoiler
Photos uploaded to Google Maps automatically sync to Google Photos
For some reason, photos I upload to Google Maps appear on Google Photos, taking up space on my account, even when they were not added from there. The steps to reproduce are:
- Download some photos from Google Photos, delete them in there and verify they are gone.
- Now, upload them from your computer, that is, not using the options "Photos from phone" or "Your photos", to a few Google Maps reviews/places. Using them the result would be the same, but it is more obvious to think that a photo that has been uploaded directly from one's computer, even if it was before downloaded from Google Photos, should not make it to Google Photos.
- Go back to Google Photos and scroll down where the photo should be based on its original date, and they are back!
- Delete them again.
- Go back to the reviews where they were added and they should be gone:
I already opened a thread in Local Guides Connect, but had no luck in there: https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t5/Feedback-and-Feature-Requests/Different-picture-quality-for-Go.... The worse part is that it looks like this problem has been happening for a while (https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/photos/-gMUXqeiEao), although it has been evolving over time, but always for the worse. The guy who created that thread mentioned that originally you could delete photos from Google Photos that have been uploaded to Google Maps, and they will not disappear from there...
There have been some LGs complaining on Connect about the removal of the unlimited Google Photos space perk, and with this issue in mind, they are totally right! As a LG, I want to contribute sharing pictures (and other content) to Google Maps BUT I don't want them in my Google Photos account permanently as, on one hand, they end up eating all my space and, on the other hand, I already manage them in my local computer/Dropbox, so I don't want to do that twice. I mainly use Google Photos as a temporary place to sync and backup the photos I take with my mobile until I decide what to do with them (move them to Dropbox and/or delete them, and some might get uploaded to Google Maps on the way).
A solution might be to enable automatic compression in Photos, which would give you unlimited space, but that does not address all the issues I mentioned here. Moreover, that would affect my whole Photos account, and while I'm fine with the photos I upload to Google Maps being compressed (actually, it would be better for the users), I don't want all my other photos to be compressed as well.
Worst part is that this was not happening originally, next they started to link both products together, and then they removed the unlimited space perk, essentially forcing users who are above the free quota, maybe because they were first encouraged to take photos and share them on Google Maps, to either upgrade (and pay) or migrate to a different service/option, which takes time... Looks like they are abusing their dominant position here, maybe? Sound familiar?