You May Not Be Able To Save RAW Images by Default To Google Photos

Samsung phones allow you to save photos in formats like JPEG, HEIF, and DNG. While JPEG and HEIF are compressed, the DNG format is uncompressed, also known as RAW. RAW photos are perfect for professional editing, offering greater detail compared to compressed formats. However, RAW images are significantly larger in file size, which means they can quickly eat up your Google Photos storage space if automatically backed up.

Google’s Plan to Stop Default RAW Backups

According to Android Authority, the latest Pixel Camera app (version 9.8) includes a new string of code that says:

 “Show option to turn on RAW+JPEG in the viewer. RAW files preserve details and offer more controls while editing. They take up more storage space. RAW photos will not be backed up by default.”

Previously, the same code indicated that “RAW photos will be backed up by default if automatic backup is enabled in Google Photos.” The publication also discovered evidence suggesting that the app will now place JPEG and RAW images in separate folders on the device. This means users could back up only the JPEGs to Google Photos, leaving RAW files off the cloud.

If these findings are accurate, Google is working on a solution to give users more control over RAW backups, potentially saving precious cloud storage space.

How This Impacts Samsung Users

Samsung Galaxy devices already offer flexibility by saving images in both compressed and uncompressed formats at the same time. If Google introduces this feature, Galaxy users could back up the JPEG version of an image to Google Photos for easy sharing while keeping the uncompressed RAW version on their device for professional editing.

This would help users to save on Google Photos storage while still having access to high-quality RAW images locally.

Will This Feature Be Available for Non-Pixel Users?

Currently, the code changes have been spotted on the Pixel Camera app, suggesting that the feature might roll out to Pixel users first. However, there’s hope that Google will extend this functionality to other Android devices, including Samsung phones, through updates to Google Photos or the Google Play System.

If rolled out universally, this feature would benefit a wide range of users who rely on cloud storage but also want to keep high-quality RAW images for editing.

Let’s wait and see how Google will implement this promising update! For now, Samsung users can continue enjoying the flexibility to save images in both formats while managing cloud backup settings manually.