On most Android smartphones, Google Photos and the phone’s native gallery function as two distinct applications but share the same files. When a user deletes an image in Google Photos thinking they are freeing up cloud space, the photo also disappears from local storage. This intertwining, reinforced by the default automatic backup, creates persistent confusion between what is stored on the device and what is in the Google cloud.
Android 14 Permissions and Access to Local Media
Before Android 14, a gallery app that obtained media access permission could read the entire local photo library. The situation changed with the introduction of a new type of permission: READ_MEDIA_VISUAL_USER_SELECTED. This mechanism allows an application to be limited to certain folders or types of content (photos, videos, audio files) instead of granting access to the entire storage.
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In practical terms, this means that Google Photos can be restricted to its own synced files, without accessing photos taken by the camera and stored locally. For the user to take advantage of this, they need to go through the app’s permission settings in the phone settings and manually select the allowed folders. The procedure to unlink Google Photos from the Android gallery partly relies on this new granularity, which did not exist in previous versions of the system.
The friction point remains that many phones have not yet received Android 14, and permission updates are not retroactive. On a device running Android 12 or 13, the options for compartmentalization remain limited to disabling the backup.
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Google Photos Backup Disabled: What It Really Changes
The first recommended action everywhere is to turn off automatic backup. In Google Photos, this is done through the account settings, in the “Backup” section. Disabling backup prevents new photos from being sent to the cloud, but does not break the link between the app and the files already present on the phone.
Photos already backed up in the cloud remain accessible from the app. Those on the phone continue to appear in Google Photos if the app retains media access permission. The confusion between “backed up” and “synced” regularly traps users.
Deletion in Google Photos and Effect on Local Storage
As long as backup is active, deleting a photo in Google Photos results in its deletion on the device. Once backup is disabled, the behavior depends on the status of each file:
- A photo that is only local (never backed up to the cloud) disappears from the phone if deleted from Google Photos, as the app then acts like a regular gallery.
- A photo already backed up in the cloud can be deleted from the cloud without affecting the local copy, provided the user goes through the “Remove from device” or “Free up space” menu depending on the app version.
- Shared albums with other users pose an additional problem: removing one’s contribution from a shared album does not necessarily delete the copies downloaded by other participants.
Checking the backup status of each photo before deletion remains the only reliable precaution. The crossed-out cloud icon indicates that a file is not backed up in the cloud.
Manufacturer Overlays: Samsung, Xiaomi, and Local Compartmentalization
Android manufacturers add their own mechanisms, sometimes more effective than Google’s native settings. On Samsung devices equipped with One UI 6, the gallery includes a secure encrypted folder, completely independent of Google Photos. Photos placed in this folder do not appear in Google Photos or any other third-party application.
Xiaomi, with HyperOS, offers the option to disable or hide Google Photos without uninstalling it. On these devices, the app can be removed from the default apps for opening images, which is enough to break the automatic association between the gallery and Google Photos. The user then consistently opens the manufacturer’s native gallery when clicking on a photo received via messaging or downloaded from a browser.
These options vary by model and overlay versions. On a Pixel phone, the default gallery is Google Photos, with no pre-installed alternative. Installing a third-party gallery (Simple Gallery, Aves, Fossify Gallery) then becomes necessary for those who want a viewing space disconnected from the cloud.
On-device Features of Google Photos Without Cloud Backup
A rarely discussed point: since 2023, Google has moved several processes directly onto the device. Facial recognition, image enhancement, and some editing suggestions work locally, even if cloud backup is completely disabled.
This evolution blurs the line between cloud application and local tool. A user who disables backup can continue to use Google Photos as a photo editor and organizational tool without sending any files to Google servers. However, the functions for sharing albums and searching by location or face across the entire cloud photo library cease to work for new photos.
The question of privacy is therefore not limited to backup. On-device processing still accesses the metadata of local photos (GPS coordinates, date, device model). The available data does not allow for a definitive conclusion on whether this metadata is transmitted to Google or remains strictly on the phone.
Complete Procedure to Separate Gallery and Google Photos on Android
The approach combines several levels of action, depending on the degree of separation sought:
- Disable backup in the Google Photos settings to stop sending to the cloud.
- Remove Google Photos’ media access permission in the phone settings (Apps section, then Permissions). On Android 14, select only the necessary folders.
- Change the default gallery app in the system settings, assigning this role to the manufacturer’s gallery or a third-party app.
- On Samsung (One UI 6), move sensitive photos to the secure folder to make them invisible to Google Photos.
- On Pixel or devices without a pre-installed alternative gallery, install an open-source gallery like Fossify Gallery.
Each step reduces a different type of link between Google Photos and local storage. Backup concerns the flow to the cloud, permissions control access to local files, and the default app determines which software opens automatically.
The total separation between Google Photos and the Android gallery remains dependent on the version of the system and the manufacturer overlay. On recent devices running Android 14 with a permissive overlay, compartmentalization is now realistic. On older models, the best option remains to disable backup and manually remove media access permissions.