How to Transfer Google Photos to iCloud Photos Easily

Apple has introduced a new feature allowing users to transfer their photos and videos directly from Google Photos to iCloud Photos.

The service is available to Apple account holders in over 240 countries and regions. The new process eliminates the need to download files before transferring them, making it so much easier.

The transfer process does not delete the original files from Google Photos, so that means your photos remain at both services. Depending on the size of the media library, the transfer may take anywhere from several hours to a few days.

To use this service, users must access Google Takeout and select “Apple – iCloud Photos” as the transfer destination.

After signing in with their Apple ID and granting necessary permissions, the transfer will begin. Users can monitor or cancel the transfer through Apple’s Data and Privacy page. Apple will send email notifications to the user’s associated email address both when the transfer begins and upon completion.

However, there are certain prerequisites and limitations. Users must ensure that iCloud Photos and iCloud Drive are enabled, and that there is sufficient iCloud storage available. If a storage error occurs, users can manage their storage or purchase additional space and request the transfer again without duplicating files.

The service is not available for child accounts, Managed Apple ID accounts, or accounts with Advanced Data Protection for iCloud enabled. Also, only specific file types are supported for transfer to iCloud Photos, including JPEG, HEIC, PNG, GIF, TIFF, and BMP for photos, and most MP4 and MOV files for videos. Unsupported files, such as RAW files, will be transferred to iCloud Drive instead.

Photos and videos are transferred in the same resolution as provided by Google for export. Metadata associated with the files, such as file name, description, file type, and location, are also included in the transfer.

Upon completion, users will receive a confirmation email from Apple, and the imported media will appear in an album called “Import from Google” in the Photos app. If some files are missing from iCloud Photos, users should check iCloud Drive for a folder named “Import from Google” with the transfer date.

If iCloud Photos is turned off during the import, the transfer stops, and only the transferred media will appear in the Photos app. Users can restart the transfer by re-enabling iCloud Photos and making another transfer request. There may be a delay between Google’s completion notification and Apple’s confirmation email.

“The offering from Apple and Google will be rolling out over the next week and is the newest tool powered by the open source Data Transfer Project (DTP) technology stack, joining existing direct portability tools available to billions of people today offered by DTI and its founding partners Apple, Google, and Meta,” explained Chris Riley from the Data Transfer Initiative today.

If you have a tonne of Google Photos and you want them in your iCloud Photos library, this new tool is going to be a godsend to make the process so much easier.