Apps

How to back up your photos using Google Photos

Give your phone some space to breathe

Published

April 28, 2020

MJ Jucutan

When you’re running out of storage, what do you do? You back up the files you don’t need anymore. But for someone working in a tech-oriented industry, I’ve been a bit old-school.

I used to copy my photos to an external hard drive to preserve my memories and to save space. Before, I didn’t know how to back up my photos using cloud services. Then three years ago, my best friend introduced me to Google Photos.

ICYDK, Google Photos is a photo-sharing and storage service that lets you back up unlimited photos and videos. When I learned how easy it was to back up, it became essential to my life — as a reviewer and as a modern millennial.

Just like some millennials (and partly, the first wave of Generation Z), I have a severe obsession with taking selfies and capturing multiple shots of a single scene. This results in photographs taking a huge chunk of my phone’s internal storage.

A barrage of selfies and photographs I took from a recent trip

Thankfully, Google Photos has my back (up). It helps me with storing, organizing, archiving, and sharing my files. Best of all, I can do all of it for free albeit there’s a compromise. Still, it’s high time you use this app to do some digital de-cluttering. Here’s how you can do it:

Download Google Photos

It’s currently available in Google’s Play Store and the App Store. Older Huawei models still have access to Google, so you don’t have to worry. But if you’re relying on AppGallery, you can only preview and download your photos through a browser. Stock Android users don’t have to do this anymore since their photos and videos are automatically synced to Google Photos — which they already have on their phones.

Choose a backup setting

When you’ve successfully installed Google Photos, open it, and sign in using your Google account. You’ll get an option to back up high-quality photos in exchange for free unlimited storage. If you choose this setting, you can still enjoy great quality but its file size will be reduced. For photos, you can save up to 16 megapixels and for videos, you save up to 1080p HD. Not bad, right?

If you opt to back up the original size, the number of photos and videos you can save will be limited to your account storage. Since this setting will save the full resolution of your files, it’s best to use if you have increased the storage available via Google Drive.

Back up & sync

Backed up flat lays of my cooking adventures while on a lockdown

Upon installation, Google Photos will ask you to turn on “back up & sync”. If you allow it, the app will do its work by backing up your photos to the cloud. Once done, you can sync your photos and videos automatically every time you use Google Photos. It’s just a matter of regularly checking it!

Additionally, you can access Google Photos anywhere. Be it your smartphone, tablet, or even your laptop — this app is definitely a match made in heaven for those struggling with organizing their photos and videos. Just sign in to photos.google.com via your browser or use the app on any device with Google Services. You can also easily search your photos by people, places, and things since Google Photos automatically sort them for you.

Free up space

If you’re done backing up, you can free up space by going to Google Photos’ settings. If it’s backed up, you can remove the photos and videos on your device. Now, you don’t have to run out of space for new memories!

Making and sharing albums

For an even more organized life, you can sort your photos and videos into albums (and make it private even more, though you’re the only one who can really see it).

If you intend to share select photos/videos or an entire album, people can only access the content you want them to see through a magic link.

Totally safe and secure

While there have been issues surrounding cloud services and Google Photos, the app has been safe and secure so far. No one can access your photos and videos except you unless someone has access to your Google account. The photos and videos you shared with friends and the people you know can only preview what you’ve shared unless someone got hold of the link provided.

There are so many things you can do with Google Photos, and there are more features that we could talk about some time. But, for now, get yourself introduced to the app first. Do some digital decluttering and Marie Kondo your gallery. Your phone will thank you in the long run.

Apps

Google Photos can now censor your kid’s face better

The new Redact feature can censor sensitive information.

Published

September 25, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Censoring photos is heavy work. Either you stick on random emojis or draw an indiscriminate splotch of doodles to cover sensitive information. It’s an imperfect art but an essential one to protect privacy. Today, Google Photos is getting a Redact feature which can censor sensitive bits with pixelated blocks.

An addition to the Markup tool, Redact acts like a nifty pen that can hide information that you don’t want seen. Unlike a ghastly emoji or a splotch, the censored bar mixes better with the surrounding elements. In the example that Google used, a censored license plate blends well with the car it’s attached to, making the photo look more cohesive. Besides license plates, it’s the perfect tool for covering other information like phone numbers, addresses, and the faces of your loved ones.

Google Photos is also rolling out Moods, a set of filters that give photos a nostalgic look, including a 2000s night digicam vibe that’s popular today. There are also 15 new Remix templates to add more creation options.

Both the Redact and the Moods features will roll out to Android users starting today. The new Remix templates, however, will be limited to some countries on both Android and iOS.

Apps

Smart launches LiveSmart App for exclusive deals

Exclusive deals, cashback, and bill payments in one app.

Published

September 18, 2026

GadgetMatch

Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and TNT have launched the LiveSmart App, a new platform that combines loading, bill payments, exclusive offers, and other everyday transactions in one app.

The app is available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. It is open to Smart, TNT, and subscribers of other mobile networks.

The LiveSmart App gives users access to exclusive deals and savings. These include cashback offers, discounted Smart and TNT data packages, and limited-time access to AI.Smart.

“Filipinos are becoming more deliberate about where they spend and how they can get more value from every peso,” said Lloyd R. Manaloto, FVP and OIC for Smart. “The LiveSmart App is designed to help make those everyday decisions a little smarter, by giving users convenient ways to load, pay bills, and access exclusive savings and offers in one place.”

Exclusive deals and perks

Smart and TNT are rolling out several offers on the LiveSmart App starting September 18.

Smart and TNT subscribers can get 5% cashback when they purchase load or pay their Smart Postpaid bill through the app.

The app also offers data packages at exclusive prices. Smart Prepaid subscribers can get Power All 109 for PHP 105, while TNT subscribers can get Saya All 109 for PHP 105.

Users who download the LiveSmart App may also receive limited-time free access to AI.Smart.

AI.Smart combines multiple AI models, including AWS Nova, ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, and Thinking Machines, in one workspace. Users can use it to generate images, create presentations, draft documents and spreadsheets, and get help with schoolwork, content creation, and other projects.

To claim the free AI.Smart credits, users need to tap the AI.Smart banner in the LiveSmart App. They then need to create an AI.Smart account using their Smart or TNT number.

Smart says users can also expect more exclusive deals and perks from lifestyle partners as it expands the LiveSmart App.

Powered by Smart 5G

The LiveSmart App runs on Smart’s network. Smart 5G supports activities such as video streaming, gaming, and real-time social media sharing.

The company said Ookla recently recognized its network for the Best Mobile Video Experience in the Philippines for the first half of 2026. Smart recorded a Video Score of 72.82, which it said was the highest among mobile operators in the country.

The LiveSmart App is now available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Users can learn more about the app through Smart’s website.

Apps

Apple’s best feature to cure motion sickness is finally on Android

Google copies a good page from Apple’s playbook.

Published

September 15, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

As an Android user, I’ve been jealous of iPhone users for a while now, but it’s not for the reason you might think. See, I’m ridiculously prone to motion sickness when I’m not driving. So, when I discovered that Apple has a software-based cure called Vehicle Motion Cues, I wanted it immediately. Now, Android does have third-party apps that do the same thing, but they’re not as good as a fully native version. Well, those dark, nauseating days are about to come to an end. Android 17 is finally getting a similar tool called Motion assist.

Before that, let’s rewind for a bit. What do these features do? How can they cure motion sickness?

Whenever you open Vehicle Motion Cues or Motion assist, the interface spawns a series of dots on the screen. These dots respond to movement. For example, if the vehicle turns to the left, the dots also go to the left, mimicking the movement. Without cues like this, the stationary nature of the screen clashes with our brain’s perception of movement. The disparity creates that feeling of nausea. Basically, our eyes are desperately trying to focus on the static screen, but our brains are telling us that we should be seeing motion. Having moving dots reorients our brain and places the phone inside our perception of movement.

Now, you can enable the same feature on your Android 17 device through Settings > All services > Motion assist under Personal & device safety. You can also set it so that the feature turns on automatically when the phone detects that you’re in a moving vehicle. Finally, you can also tweak the shape, color, and opacity of these dots.

Android 17’s Motion assist is rolling out now to compatible devices.