You no longer need to manually download your photo collection from iCloud to transfer it to Google Photos. Apple has launched a new service that automates the process – all you need to do is log in to your iCloud account on the tech giant’s Data and Privacy website. After logging in, go to “Transfer a copy of your data” and check the box next to Photos and / or Videos, depending on what you want to copy. You will then be asked to sign in to your Google account in order to complete the process.
Before using the new service, you need to make sure that your Apple ID uses two-factor authentication. In addition, your Google Photos account must have sufficient storage, or the transfer will obviously not be completed. The prompts you follow during the process will show how big your collection is, so you have an idea of how much space you can have to free up, or if you need access to more storage than the free version of Google Drive can offer.
When the transfer is complete, you’ll see that the file names for the albums and videos in your Google account will begin with “Copy from.” However, only the most recent editions of your photos will be transferred, and some content, such as shared albums, will not be transferred. Apple says it will take three to seven days to complete a transfer and will use that time to authenticate your request, as well as to complete it.