MacOS – google photos backup app

I wasn't sure if this was possible, but I'm please to report that it is, and I'm going to use it myself. The trick is to understand that Photos Library.photoslibrary is a Package File that Google Photos Backup doesn't know how to see inside. However, Finder does. So, right click on Photos Library.photoslibrary (normally inside your Pictures folder) and select Show Package Contents. All of your pictures are inside of Masters, organized by date added (however note that any edits you made in Apple Photos are not included; these are the original images).

Now, run Google Photos Backup and click Add to select the folder. Drag the Masters folder into the File Dialog:

Now click Choose, and you've succeeded in getting the Google Photos Backup to look inside the Apple Photo package. You may want to unclick the other watched folders, since Apple Photo should already be importing all images.

I just figured this out, so I'll update if I find any downsides. Since Google Photos is completely free for the High Quality images (as opposed to Original resolution), it will be interesting to compare the two services.

I have an iCloud library of about 25000 photos and videos, running on multiple iOS devices in "optimized" mode. Each device had to go through the complete backup process of uploading every image and video. Google Photos' iOS app will upload images first, then videos.

Which creates some problems on the iOS devices: With the "optimized" setting iOS only keeps the most recent or recently viewed assets in full resolution. Since google photos requests 100% of the full-size assets the iOS device, in my scenario, inevitably runs low on space for as long as google's upload process takes. Very. Annoying.

But fortunately I don't get any duplicates in google photos. I wish google would figure out a way to intelligently avoid having to upload what's already there, as this process, with a library of +150GB takes weeks.