This Open Source App Finally Got Me to Leave Google Photos
I have been using Google Photos since its launch a decade ago, but I recently thought of moving on to an alternative. As much as I like Google’s application, I want something with an accent on confidentiality. Hear photos offers exactly this.
Why I chose photos of the ENT
Hear photos (it is pronounced in tay) is in many ways the anti-google photos. It is a privacy service. It’s open-source. The photos are encrypted, so they are not constantly scanned and used to cause AI. That’s why I want to get away from Google Photos.
It also comes with similar advantages. You get 10 GB of storage space for free, and it is multiplateform. I use both an Android phone and a MacBook, so I need something that works on both.
In addition to that, you get a memory, easy sharing and collaboration feature and a form of research fueled by AI.
How to configure photos
Hear photos has applications for most platforms and also works in your web browser. It is easy to configure and you can import your full image library from Google Photos. I recommend using the desktop application for this. It seems to be the simplest way and offers more flexible options than doing so via the browser or the phone.
To import from Google Photos, you must first download your images using Google Takeout. Access the page to take away and deselect everything apart from Google Photos, then follow the rest of the instructions to download them in the form of zip files.
It takes a while to be treated. Mine took about half an hour and served all my content divided on 16 zip files.
Once downloaded, go to the desktop application and select Import your folders> Google Takeout> Select Zips. The images will then be added to END and downloaded to your account. It takes time, depending on what you have.
Some of my images failed to download for an unpertified reason, and the “Rerying” option has not helped. Keep an eye on this, as you may need to add them manually.
Once finished, you can access your photos on your phone and other devices. They should be in order, with their metadata intact and sorted in all the files that you had installed in Google.
Remember that Google Photos will continue to save your images unless you deactivate it.
How can you compare it to Google photos
So how do the photos of the ENC compare Google Photos? Aside from a terrible icon, it’s quite good, although different and more stripped.
In exchange for more privacy, you lose most of the AI features. The most useful natural language research is available, as well as facial detection. You must activate them when invited, and all the treatment occurs on your device. You can also manually add descriptions and beacons to help organize your images.
In general, the experience is not so different from Google Photos. It saves your content, including raw videos and photos, automatically.
There is a souvenir style feature to highlight moments from the past; Your photos are automatically organized by theme, such as sunsets or celebrations; And there is a location option to put your photos on a card.
Photo sharing is simple and private. You can share links to images or files to non-enteled users, although certain options require paid upgrade. This is one of the consequences of the non-monetization of user data.
The application also allows you to hide photos for greater privacy and keep them locked behind your fingerprint. You can also lock the entire application, if you wish.
There are frustrations. The user interface does not have a part of Google Photos varnish. The removal of images, for example, invites two confirmation boxes, one of the Ette and an Android.
And the biggest difference is assembly, which could be a break for many people. The ORDs are limited to absolute bases such as brightness and color, as well as culture and rotation. There is no magic eraser, of course, but you also do not have access to specific features for the camera. You cannot adjust the fuzzy portrait afterwards, and the best socket images on a pixel are saved in the form of mini videos.
If I needed it, however, I would jump again on Google Photos. The images are always available there; I would just have disabled the backup option.
If you need additional space, the photo entertainment is more expensive than Google, although always very affordable in the lower storage options. 50 GB is $ 2.99 per month, or $ 2.49 per month on an annual plan, but 2 TB will cost you up to $ 23.99. This is more than double what Google is invoicing. The free 10 GB is sufficient, however, to test if the application suits you.
Will I stick to it?
After using END photos as the main photo gallery application for about a week, I get used to his differences (and limitations), and I’m quite happy.
I have not yet been courageous enough to empty my Google Photos account, but fortunately, there is no problem using both applications next to each other during the transition. In fact, you can keep them both permanently – as a Cloud and Google backup for its assembly. This could be the best of both worlds – improved privacy without loss of functionality.
