Back Up Photos

[belodion]

It's something I've never quite understood in WP. On an Android, I'm okay. But if I Factory Reset my 1020, how do I restore the photos to the Photos app after the reset? Are they restored as a OneDrive folder, requiring online-only viewing via mobile data or wifi?
In backing up, I have them set to back up automatically, high quality, via wifi....but they don't seem to back up automatically. I have to select photos in Photos, and then Share to OneDrive....in other words, do it manually. Whether this backs up the 5MP files or the larger high-res ones, I don't know. All I want to be sure of is that both the low- and high-res photo files will be restored to the phone after resetting, and that they'll be viewable in the same way as at present.
Some guidance from members who understand the correct procedures would be very welcome.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[realwarder]

First, be very careful as even with working OneDrive photo backup, I've discovered that periodically a few files will not auto-upload. No idea why, but that's my experience.

The safest way to maintain the photos is likely to connect the phone to a PC via USB and then copy all the photos to a PC (maybe even to OneDrive so you do ensure you have a cloud backup). After a factory reset, you can copy any back that you want the same way.

 

[nicfromwales]

You can't restore photos directly to the phone using the automatic back up. Your photos are saved inside a OneDrive folder, which is online-only. If you want to restore these photos to your phone, you either need to download them directly to your phone, or connect your phone to a computer and transfer them over. If you don't think your photos are being backed up automatically, ensure the correct settings are switched on, and check your OneDrive folders again; often people are looking in the wrong place. Search for "camera roll".

 

[belodion]

Thx to both. In Android, photos would be backed up to Google+. After resetting, you'd sign in to your Google account, or Google+, and they'd be downloaded into Photos (as I understand it...I've never actually done it). In WP, if I understand right, there's nothing quite that straightforward?
I may also consider transferring the photos to another Windows phone, then transferring back after the reset. I believe this can be done.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[nicfromwales]

After resetting, you'd sign in to your Google account, or Google+, and they'd be downloaded into Photos (as I understand it...I've never actually done it). In WP, if I understand right, there's nothing quite that straightforward?

True, but the way I see it is that a hard reset is one way of clearing my phone of too many photos. I don't lose any, as they're all stored in my OneDrive which I still have access to, and I can just download the ones that I want stored on my phone, and carry on taking more photos. If OneDrive continually restored to my phone every photo that I've taken I'd have no memory left.

 

[Harrie-S]

One big advantage of coping them to and from your PC is that this is much faster than doing it to and from one drive.
And indeed auto sync between phone and one drive (from phone to one drive and from one drive to phone) would never "create" space on your phone.

Copy from phone to phone can be done by Bluetooth but this really will take a very long time.
What would be easier to connect both phones to a computer (USB) and than copy them from one phone to the other or first to your computer and than to the other phone.

 

[belodion]

In fact I have no PC but I just made the experiment of downloading a 930-uploaded OneDrive photo to my 1020....it did indeed appear in the 1020's Photos app, though without the Open in Nokia Camera option.

Thanks for the last two replies.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[Harrie-S]

Please check this.
Open Nokia Camera (it is now bye the way Lumia camera)
Push op the 3 dots (below right side from screen)
Go to Settings
On the bottom of the page klik on
Find photos and videos shot with Lumia Camera
(this is use after a photo reset op data restore

 

[Harrie-S]

One more remark.
You where not sure if the pictures were "synced" with one drive.
If you take a lot of pictures then it takes time to sync them (not sure what your wifi speed is but 1020 picturres can be big)
Also not sure if you need to allow one drive to work in the background to make the sync possible.
In the photo hub push on the 3 dots ... then you see upload status.
Maybe try how this works.

 

[belodion]

^^^So you're saying that after resetting, the Find Lumia Photos etc option comes up when opening the Photos settings? Because if that's the case, the problem is solved. At the moment, not having reset yet, that option is not present, but presumably there'd be no need for it.

Regarding Photos settings, yes, when I turn on wifi and check Upload Status, it always says No Uploads. You could be right, it may do it in its own good time in the background.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[Harrie-S]

I am not sure if the find photos turns up because I also never used it but it looks logical that it should. Or if it not comes up automatically you can start it manual after copying the pictures back from one drive.

 

[belodion]

I've just turned on wifi and found that the uploading of a photo taken today started straightaway, automatically, possibly because I had a good wifi signal....it's normally weak. Strangely, it was uploaded twice, and the full photo rather than the cropped version I've got in Photos. So far as I could tell, both were the same resolution so I just deleted one from the OneDrive folder. But at least it proves the auto-upload works.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[dsimages]

The photos app in android doesn't actually restore any pictures to your phone. It's just a "shortcut" to your photos folder in google drive.
If you were to turn off your mobile data you would find zero photos in the android photos app unless there were photos stored directly on the phone.

I actually prefer how WP manages photos over android.

In WP - After a phone restore, open the photos app>click one drive>then click camera roll. All your photos are back up there. Assuming you have auto backup turned on.and mobile data turned on.

I will actually delete photos from my phone every so often (after the photos have been auto backed up) to clear up some storage. I will just "favorite" the ones that I want to show up in my live tile and set my live tile to ink show my "favorites".

Hope this helps.

 

[realwarder]

Thanks for the favorite live tile tip.

 

[belodion]

dsimages: It does help...thank you.

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