Running out of storage on your iPhone or iPad? You might want to delete some photos from your device while keeping them safely backed up in Google Photos. This can be a tricky process if you don't know the right steps to follow. In this guide, I'll walk you through exactly how to delete photos from your iOS device without removing them from Google Photos.

Many iOS users face this common problem: they want to free up space on their device but don't want to lose their precious memories forever. The good news is that with the right settings and steps, you can keep your photos in Google Photos while removing them from your iPhone or iPad.

Why You Might Need to Delete Photos from iOS Only

Before diving into the how-to, let's look at why you might want to keep photos in Google Photos while removing them from your iOS device:

• Free up storage space on your iPhone or iPad
• Organize your local photo library without affecting your cloud backup
• Keep older photos accessible online but not taking up space on your device
• Maintain a backup while cleaning up your device

Understanding How Google Photos Works with iOS

Google Photos can sometimes be confusing when used on iOS devices because of how Apple's Photos app integrates with cloud services. By default, when you delete a photo from your iOS device that has been backed up to Google Photos, it doesn't automatically delete from Google Photos. However, if you're not careful with your settings or deletion method, you might end up deleting photos from both places.

The Key Difference: Backup vs. Sync

Google Photos offers two main ways to store your photos:

1. Backup: Photos are uploaded to Google Photos but managed separately from your device
2. Sync: Photos are mirrored between your device and Google Photos, so changes in one place affect the other

For our purpose of deleting photos only from iOS, we need to make sure we're using the backup option rather than sync.

Step-by-Step Guide to Delete Photos from iOS Only

Method 1: Using Google Photos App to Free Up Space

This is the safest and most straightforward method to remove photos from your iOS device while keeping them in Google Photos.

Step 1: Ensure Your Photos Are Backed Up

1. Open the Google Photos app on your iOS device
2. Tap your profile picture in the top-right corner
3. Select "Photos settings"
4. Tap "Back up & sync"
5. Make sure the "Back up & sync" toggle is ON
6. Wait for all your photos to finish backing up (look for the cloud icon with a checkmark on photos that are backed up)

Step 2: Free Up Space Using Google Photos

1. In the Google Photos app, tap on your profile picture again
2. Select "Free up space"
3. The app will identify photos that have been backed up and can be safely removed from your device
4. Tap "Free up [X] GB" (the number will depend on how many photos can be removed)
5. Confirm by tapping "Remove" when prompted

This method safely removes photos from your iOS device without affecting your Google Photos backup. The photos will still be accessible through the Google Photos app, but they won't take up space on your device.

Method 2: Manual Deletion from iOS Photos App

If you prefer to manually select which photos to delete, follow these steps:

Step 1: Verify Backup Settings

1. Open Google Photos and check that "Back up & sync" is enabled as described above
2. Ensure all photos you want to keep have been backed up (they should have the cloud icon with a checkmark)

Step 2: Disable iCloud Photos (Important!)

1. Open the Settings app on your iOS device
2. Tap your name at the top
3. Select "iCloud"
4. Tap "Photos"
5. Turn OFF "iCloud Photos" if it's enabled
6. When prompted, choose "Download Photos & Videos" if you want to keep a local copy, or "Remove from iPhone" if you're sure everything is backed up elsewhere

Step 3: Delete Photos from iOS Photos App

1. Open the Photos app on your iOS device
2. Select the photos you want to delete by tapping "Select" in the top-right corner
3. Choose the photos you want to remove
4. Tap the trash icon at the bottom-right
5. Confirm deletion by tapping "Delete [X] Photos"

Step 4: Permanently Delete from Recently Deleted Folder

1. In the Photos app, go to "Albums"
2. Scroll down and tap "Recently Deleted"
3. Tap "Select" in the top-right corner
4. Choose "Delete All" in the bottom-left corner
5. Confirm by tapping "Delete [X] Items"

This manually removes the photos from your iOS device while keeping them in Google Photos.

Method 3: Using Google Photos to Selectively Delete

This method gives you more control over which specific photos to remove from your device:

Step 1: Confirm Backup Status

1. Open Google Photos app
2. Browse through your photos and make sure they all have the backup checkmark
3. If any don't have the checkmark, wait until they're backed up

Step 2: Select and Delete Photos from Device Only

1. In Google Photos, find and select the photos you want to remove from your device
2. Tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner
3. Select "Delete from device"
4. Confirm by tapping "Move to trash" or "Delete"

This method keeps the photos in Google Photos while removing them from your iOS device's storage.

Important Settings to Check Before Deleting

Before you start deleting photos, double-check these settings to avoid any unintended loss:

Google Photos Settings

Setting	Recommended Value	Why It Matters
Back up & sync	ON	Ensures your photos are saved to Google Photos
Upload size	High quality or Original	Determines the quality of backed-up photos
Backup account	Correct Google account	Ensures photos go to the right account

iOS Settings

Setting	Recommended Value	Why It Matters
iCloud Photos	OFF (if using Google Photos exclusively)	Prevents conflicts between cloud services
Google Photos Background App Refresh	ON	Allows Google Photos to finish backups

Common Issues and Troubleshooting

Even with careful steps, you might encounter some issues. Here's how to handle them:

Photos Still Taking Up Space After Deletion

If you've deleted photos but your device storage hasn't changed much:

1. Check your "Recently Deleted" album in the Photos app and empty it
2. Restart your iOS device
3. Check if other apps might be storing copies of your photos

Photos Disappeared from Google Photos

If your photos are missing from Google Photos after deletion from your device:

1. Check the "Trash" folder in Google Photos (photos stay there for 60 days)
2. Verify you're signed in to the correct Google account
3. Check if the photos were backed up before deletion (they should have had the backup checkmark)

Google Photos App Not Showing "Free Up Space" Option

If you don't see this option:

1. Update the Google Photos app to the latest version
2. Make sure you have photos that are backed up and taking up device storage
3. Check if you're signed in to the correct account

Comparison: Different Methods of Managing Photos

Method	Pros	Cons	Best For
Google Photos "Free Up Space"	Automatic, safe, bulk removal	Less control over specific photos	Quick bulk cleanup
Manual iOS Photos Deletion	More control over what's deleted	Time-consuming for many photos	Selective cleanup
Google Photos "Delete from device"	Selective control, keeps in cloud	Must select photos individually	Organized cleanup
Third-party cleanup apps	Additional features, batch processing	May cost money, privacy concerns	Power users

Tips for Managing Photos Between iOS and Google Photos

Regular Maintenance

To keep your photo storage optimized:

• Set a monthly reminder to run "Free up space" in Google Photos
• Check your device storage regularly in Settings > General > iPhone/iPad Storage
• Delete screenshots, duplicate photos, and blurry images that you don't need to keep

Organizing Your Photos

Make managing photos easier by:

• Creating albums in Google Photos for important categories
• Using the search function to find specific photos by location, person, or object
• Archiving less important photos to keep your main feed clean

Backup Verification

Before bulk-deleting photos from your device:

• Open photos.google.com on a computer to verify your photos are there
• Download a few test photos from Google Photos to confirm they're properly backed up
• Check the backup status of recent photos to ensure the backup is current

Understanding Storage on iOS vs. Google Photos

It's helpful to understand how storage works across platforms:

iOS Storage

Your iPhone or iPad has fixed storage that's shared among:

• System files and iOS itself
• Apps and their data
• Photos and videos in your Photos app
• Music, podcasts, and other media

When this fills up, your device can become slow or unable to take new photos.

Google Photos Storage

Google Photos offers:

• 15GB free storage shared with Gmail and Google Drive (on the free plan)
• Option to purchase more storage through Google One
• "Storage saver" option that compresses photos to save space

Understanding these differences helps you make better decisions about where to keep your photos.

Quick Tip to ensure your videos never go missing

Videos are precious memories and all of us never want to lose them to hard disk crashes or missing drives. PicBackMan is the easiest and simplest way to keep your videos safely backed up in one or more online accounts. 

Simply download PicBackMan (it's free!), register your account, connect to your online store and tell PicBackMan where your videos are - PicBackMan does the rest, automatically. It bulk uploads all videos and keeps looking for new ones and uploads those too. You don't have to ever touch it.

Advanced Tips for Power Users

Automating Photo Management

If you're technically inclined:

• Set up Shortcuts on iOS to help manage photos
• Use the Google Photos API with third-party tools for more control
• Consider using multiple cloud services for redundant backups

Managing Videos

Videos take up much more space than photos:

• Prioritize removing videos from your device after backing them up
• Consider using the "Storage saver" quality for videos in Google Photos
• Check if 4K videos are taking up unnecessary space (if you don't need that quality)

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Will deleting photos from my iPhone also delete them from Google Photos?

No, if you've properly backed up your photos to Google Photos before deleting them from your iPhone, they will remain in Google Photos. The key is to make sure the backup is complete (check for the cloud checkmark) before deleting from your device.

2. How can I check if my photos are successfully backed up to Google Photos?

Open the Google Photos app and look for the cloud icon with a checkmark on your photos. This indicates they've been successfully backed up. You can also visit photos.google.com on a computer to verify your photos are there.

3. What happens if I delete the Google Photos app after backing up my photos?

Your photos will still be safe in Google Photos cloud storage even if you delete the app. You can always reinstall the app or access your photos through the Google Photos website. However, you won't be able to automatically back up new photos without the app.

4. Is there a way to automatically delete photos from my iPhone after they're backed up to Google Photos?

Yes, the "Free up space" feature in Google Photos does exactly this. It identifies photos that have been backed up and offers to remove them from your device while keeping them in Google Photos cloud storage.

5. If I delete photos from Google Photos, will they also be deleted from my iPhone?

If you delete photos directly in Google Photos, they will be removed from Google's cloud storage but will remain on your iPhone unless you've set up a sync relationship. To be safe, always delete from your device first after ensuring backup, rather than deleting from Google Photos.

Conclusion

Deleting photos from your iOS device while keeping them in Google Photos is a straightforward process once you understand how the systems work together. By using the "Free up space" feature in Google Photos or manually deleting photos after confirming they're backed up, you can free up valuable storage on your iPhone or iPad without losing your precious memories.

Remember to always verify that your photos are properly backed up before deleting them from your device. With regular maintenance and the right settings, you can enjoy the best of both worlds: access to all your photos in Google Photos while keeping your iOS device running smoothly with plenty of free space.