{
  "id": 17619287,
  "title": "I stopped Google Photos from backing up everything with this app",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/01/i-stopped-google-photos-from-backing-up-everything-with-this-app",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-01T14:30:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Android Police",
    "slug": "android-police",
    "url": "https://www.androidpolice.com/stopped-google-photos-backing-up/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "If you capture a lot of photos on your phone but don't want every image automatically backed up to Google Photos, an app called Snapgate offers a solution. The app prompts you to choose whether to back up each photo you take, giving you more control over what gets saved to your Google account.\n\nSnapgate allows you to review and select which photos to upload. Instead of automatically backing up all images in a folder, you can discard images you don't want to upload. The discarded photos stay on your device but won't be backed up to Google Photos. This way, you can keep important photos while discarding less useful ones.\n\nThe app provides temporary upload modes that can be set for specific periods, such as during a trip when you want to back up more photos. After the temporary mode expires, you can revert to your normal backup settings. You can also create rules based on time, day, or source folder, and direct approved photos to a specific album.\n\nSnapgate works by sending a notification with a thumbnail and options to back up or delete each photo after you take it. You don't need to open Google Photos for each decision. The app offers a 14-day trial before you need to make a one-time purchase to continue using it.\n\nWhile automatic backups are convenient, not every photo needs to be uploaded to the cloud. Some are temporary references or useful on a single device. Snapgate helps you make that distinction by giving you control over what gets backed up.",
  "summary": "Choose which photos reach the cloud",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}