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You may opt-out by clicking here More From Forbes Feb 26, 2021,06:08pm EST Apple Loop: iPhone 13 Upgrades Confirmed, Mysterious MacOS Malware Reported, Massive MacBook Pro Problems Feb 26, 2021,06:00pm EST Android Circuit: Nokia's Missing Flagship, Surprising OnePlus 9 Decision, Bill Gates' Favorite Phone Feb 26, 2021,12:11pm EST Robot Spas Are Coming: Watch The New LUUM Lash Extension Robot In Action Feb 26, 2021,12:00pm EST Huawei Ditches Google: The Cool New Android Alternative Is Almost Here Feb 26, 2021,09:19am EST Twitter's Super Follows Proposes A Subscription Model For Our Garbage Tweets Feb 26, 2021,09:14am EST These True Wireless Sports Earbuds Offer An Amazing 80 Hours Of Listening Time Feb 26, 2021,06:00am EST This Week In XR: Sony's Next-Gen VR, $18M For Interplay XR Training, The Wild Acquires IrisVR Prospect Feb 25, 2021,06:28pm EST Samsung QN65QN90A TV Review: Mini LED Marvel Feb 25, 2021,04:16pm EST Review: 1More's True Wireless ANC In-Ear Headphones Are Now THX Certified Edit Story Feb 27, 2021,06:35am EST| Google Issues Quality Warning For Millions Of Google Photos Users Paul Monckton Paul MoncktonSenior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Consumer Tech * Share to Facebook * Share to Twitter * Share to Linkedin Having recently taken away its best feature, Google Photos is now trying to convince us that it was no good in the first place and has warned users of the consequences. Google Photos Logo Google Photos Logo GOOGLE MORE FROM FORBESSamsung Reveals Galaxy-Beating Smartphone CameraBy Paul Monckton In a recent subscriber email, the Google Photos team has outlined new premium editing features available exclusively to its paying Google One customers. However, the email also contains a somewhat surprising section encouraging users to use up more of their storage quota by switching from High Quality to Original Quality uploads or risk seemingly dire consequences According to the email, "Original quality photos preserve the most detail and let you zoom in, crop and print photos with less pixelation." While this statement is objectively true, it is at odds with what Google has told us in the past about its High Quality option. At its 2015 launch, Google Photos creator Anil Sabharwal promised that High Quality uploads offered "near-identical visual quality" when compared to your original photos. But now Google wants us to see a seemingly huge difference in quality between the two settings and to be willing to pay extra for it. It seems "Original Quality" is now suddenly something for which we should all be willing to pay extra. MORE FOR YOU New Apple iPhone 13 Leaks Reveal Design, Display, Camera Upgrades Apple Loop: iPhone 13 Upgrades Confirmed, Mysterious MacOS Malware Reported, Massive MacBook Pro Problems Nvidia RTX 3060 Vs RTX 3060 Ti: Which Should You Buy? Here is the image Google has used to show the difference between Original Quality and High Quality: An image showing the difference between Google Photos' Original and High Quality options. Original quality images can look better than Google's High Quality option, but not by this much, GOOGLE So, do the two quality settings offer near-identical visual quality as originally promised, or do High Quality images actually look like a pixelated mess above when compared to the originals? Should you really switch to Original Quality as Google suggests and pay more for the additional storage it will require? High quality images are restricted to 16 megapixels for photos or 1080p resolution for video and free to store on the service until June 2021. Original quality uploads, on the other hand, come at whatever resolution your camera was set to, which can often produce larger files exceeding the 16-megapixel/1080p limit. These larger files consume the user's storage quota and require a Google One storage plan to be purchased once the initial 15GB of free storage has run out. If you're concerned about losing quality if you don't switch over to Original Quality, then don't worry. It is important to stress that Google's example image is absolutely not representative of the difference you will actually see between the two quality settings. Most people probably won't notice the difference at all. On the other hand, cameras have come a long way since 2015 and if you made the decision to stick with High Quality back then, you may want to reconsider that option for a moment if you have a new phone with much higher specs that you are actually using. If, for example, you've started shooting a lot of video in 4K, or even 8K, then you may want to put a plan in place to preserve those in original quality. With photos, it's a little different: The iPhone 12 Pro Max, for example, comes with a 12-megapixel main sensor which fits under the 16-megapixel limit. However, if your phone offers a high-resolution option like a 108-megapixel mode it's a different story. By all means, have a think about your quality options, but don't be fooled by Google's pixelated bird warning. You'll probably be fine sticking with High Quality. Follow @paul_monckton on Instagram MORE FROM FORBESNew Google Photos Features Lock Out Millions Of Users By Paul Monckton Paul Monckton Paul Monckton I've been working as a technology journalist since the early nineties. My passion is photography and the ever-changing hardware and software that we use to create it, be ... Read More I've been working as a technology journalist since the early nineties. My passion is photography and the ever-changing hardware and software that we use to create it, be it traditional cameras and Photoshop or smartphones and tablets with their numerous apps. I have also worked extensively on computing titles such as PC Magazine and Personal Computer World and managed the PCW hardware testing labs. This has seen me testing and reviewing all manner of technologies in print and on line. I take on both written and photographic assignments and you can get in touch with questions, tips or pitches via email. Find me on Instagram @paul_monckton. Read Less * Print * Reprints & Permissions [ ]