Connect with us

Tech

Switching Phones? Don’t Make This Data Loss Mistake

Published

6 days ago

on


Key Takeaways

  • Google’s “hidden” deletion. Google Photos doesn’t back up this folder by default. Keep your photos safe.
  • Don’t trust your mobile app: You can miss files that haven’t been backed up.
  • Do the web test: How to be 100% sure your photos are backed up.

Nov 30 Update below: I’ve added another hidden trap that could cause you to quietly lose Google Photos data in a way you probably won’t notice until it’s too late.

Also fixed some formatting for clarity. This article was originally published on November 28

With Black Friday madness driving smartphone sales through the roof, millions of users are effectively migrating their digital lives this weekend as they unbox their shiny new iPhones, Pixels and Samsung Galaxies.

However, when transferring a Google Photos library, several pitfalls must be avoided to prevent permanently losing precious memories.

The Danger Moment: Wiping Your Old Phone

As I reported yesterday regarding Google Photos’ “hidden” Perspective Tool, Google often prioritizes a clean, simplified interface over fine-grained control. The phone migration process is no exception. If you just tap “Next” without taking proper care, you may end up with a photo library that looks complete but is missing vital images you can never get back.

Here are three critical data loss traps you must avoid:

1. The “Locked Folder” Trap

This is a big one:

If you have any photos or videos stored in your Locked Folder, they are likely not backed up to the cloud. If you wipe your old phone before taking the steps below, those items will be deleted forever.

The Locked Folder is a secure folder in Google Photos protected by a fingerprint or passcode. Because of this extra security, Google keeps these files separate from your main cloud backup, leaving them more vulnerable to data loss.

The Trap: For security reasons, the Google Photos Locked Folder isn’t backed up by default, even if you have backup turned on for everything else. You must turn on Locked Folder backup separately in the Locked Folder settings if you want your Locked Folder items to be available on your new device automatically.

I’ve seen countless support queries from frustrated users who have lost their most private photos to the Locked Folder trap. Unfortunately, the response is always the same: the lost pictures cannot be retrieved once the old device has been erased.

What Not To Do: Don’t erase or reset your old device before you have everything backed up, as your Locked Folder contents will be irretrievably lost.

Don’t rely on “cable transfer” tools like Samsung Smart Switch or Apple Move To iOS. These tools can’t access your Locked Folder and won’t transfer its contents to your new device.

Do This: The most foolproof way to check if your Locked Folder is backed up is to go to https://photos.google.com/lockedfolder sign in and check to see if your photos are there. Everything in that folder has been safely backed up in the cloud and will be available from your new device. Any Locked Folder items not visible here will be lost when you wipe your old device.

If you don’t see your photos there, you can turn on Locked Folder backup to back them up before you wipe your old phone.

2. The Social Media and Downloads Trap

You likely have many photos and videos in folders on your old device that haven’t been backed up. These often include images from social media apps like Instagram, messaging apps like WhatsApp, and crucially, your device’s default Download folder.

For example, images you edit or save from Instagram go into their own folder, not your main camera roll. Similarly any image or video you save from your browser typically ends up in “Downloads”, which Google Photos ignores by default to save space.

Google Photos automatically backs up everything you shoot with your camera, but often won’t include other folders on your device unless you specifically tell it to.

The Trap: You see your camera timeline successfully transferred to your new phone and wipe your old device, potentially deleting years of saved media.

What Not To Do: Don’t fall into the trap of seeing what looks like a perfect copy of your photo library on your new device and assuming you have transferred everything to your new one. You’ve probably left several files behind! On your old device, Google Photos can show a mix of cloud files and local files, tricking you into thinking all your local folders have been backed up.

Don’t skip the cable: Use the option to transfer photos and videos with your cable (or wireless) transfer tool if you’re using one. Many users turn this off to save time and storage space thinking Google Photos has everything saved, but this will leave local files behind.

Do This: Open Google Photos on your old device and head to “On this device” (it’s in the Collections tab).

Scroll through the list and check the backup switch. If the switch is off (or you see a cloud icon with a line through it), that folder is not backed up. Turn it on.

Note that the device folders themselves won’t transfer to your new device using this method, the contents will become scattered throughout your main photo library based on when they were created. If you want to keep them organized, add the contents of each folder to a new album before you transfer.

3. The Incomplete Transfer Trap

If you have backup turned on in Google Photos, your pictures should be stored safely in the cloud. Unfortunately, reports indicate this process has been known to go wrong, leaving you with an incomplete backup.

The Trap: You check your old device and your photos appear to have been backed up successfully. You then factory reset that device and discover later that some files hadn’t been backed up after all. By then, it’s too late to retrieve them.

What Not To Do: Don’t just trust the Google Photos app on your old device to verify that the backup has completed successfully. You’ll probably be safe, but some users have reported that it’s possible for an incomplete backup to show as successful in the app.

Do This: To be 100 percent sure your photos and videos are backed up in the cloud, go to photos.google.com on your new phone (or on a computer) and check them in your browser. If a photo isn’t showing up there, then it hasn’t been backed up, and you must not wipe the old phone until you have rectified the situation.

4. The Live Photo Trap

The Trap: Different devices, especially iOS vs Android, use mutually incompatible motion photo formats that often don’t transfer correctly from one device to the other.

Google Photos supports motion photos from iOS and Android devices Live Photos (iOS) and Motion Photos (Android) store motion, and sometimes audio, along with every picture. These popular formats allow you to relive the moments in a way a simple photo does not and also give you the opportunity to find your favorite shout out of the enclosed burst of images.

What could go wrong: You use a transfer app to copy all your photos to your new device. Everything seems to have transferred correctly, but you realize much later on that your live photos have reverted to still images. Their motion and video is irretrievably lost.

What Not To Do: Unless you’ve bought a Google Pixel, don’t rely on a transfer app to copy over your Live Photos. You may end up with separate photo and video clips or, even worse, static images only.

While the Pixel’s built-in Data Restore Tool officially supports Live Photo migration from iOS, the generic “Android Switch” app (iOS) (Android) often used for other other devices lacks official support for preserving motion data with audio. Neither Samsung’s Smart Switch or Apple’s Move to iOS apps will correctly migrate motion picture formats between platforms with working audio.

Do This: Use the Google Photos app on your old phone to back up your photo library, including your Live Photos before you wipe it. Google Photos supports both Android Motion Photos and Live Photos from iOS, preserving the motion and the sound in the cloud.

Even though the Pixel’s Motion Photos don’t capture audio, and Samsung devices use a different format, you’ll still be able to hear the sound in your existing Live Photos backed up from iOS as Google Photos manages the transfer of the still image, motion and audio together.

However, be aware that new motion photos shot on a Pixel, may be silent by default.

To be safe, never wipe your old devices until you have verified that you can play one of your old Motion Photos or Live Photos on your new device in the Google Photos app.

The Bottom Line: Trust Only The Web Version

Migrating your phone is designed to be fast and reliable, but when it comes to your Google Photos library, relying on Smart Switch or Move to iOS isn’t enough.

To ensure your photos and videos are fully backed up, always check Google Photos in a web browser. If they aren’t there, then they aren’t safe.

Follow @paul_monckton on Instagram.

ForbesGoogle Photos Update Warning: Essential Feature Returns, But There Is A Catch.By Paul MoncktonForbesCan You Tell If An Image Was Made By AI? Google Just Gave Everyone A Free ToolBy Paul Monckton





Source link

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tech

Soon, But There’s A Catch

Published

6 minutes ago

on

December 6, 2025

By


Updated Dec. 6 with more details of release date and pricing, panel thicknesses and comparisons to other thin and folding phones.

The next Samsung smartphone has been revealed. The Galaxy Z TriFold is a folding phone with two hinges so its internal screen opens out to be the size of a 10-inch tablet. Here’s when it will arrive and how much it’ll cost, plus details of why it’s different from other rival folding and super-thin phones. Oh, and whether TriFold is the right name.

Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold Release Date: Friday, Dec. 12

That’s the date that the new phone will go on sale. But there’s a catch: it’s in South Korea only, where it will be available to view from Dec. 9 in 20 stores.

ForbesiPhone 18: How Apple’s 2025 Releases Reveal The Secrets Of The Next iPhonesBy David Phelan

It will be available more widely, but no date has yet been attached. “Samsung Electronics will launch the ‘Galaxy Z Trifold’ in Korea on the 12th and then launch it sequentially to global markets such as China, Taiwan, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States,” Samsung said in a newsroom post.

No exact date yet, then, though I’d be astonished if it was before 2026. A report from Bloomberg comments that it will ship in very limited volume.

And a more recent update from Tom’s Guide claimed that while no actual date has been set, there is at least a clue. “As for the U.S., Samsung says it’ll be coming sometime in Q1 2026,” it reported.

“Given that January or February could also see the next Galaxy Unpacked event for the Galaxy S26 series, it’ll be interesting to see if Samsung will wait to release the TriFold later in Q1, just to make room in between releases,” it went on.

Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold Price

“ ‘Galaxy Z Trifold’ is released as a single model of ‘Crafted Black’ color in 512GB storage with 16GB memory, and the price is 3,594,000 won,” Samsung said, which is around $2,450.

That’s not cheap, but there’s a lot in the box, it seems. “The ‘Galaxy Z Trifold’ package includes ‘Carbon Shield Case’, ’45W Fast Charger’, and ‘Data Cable’ as basic components,” Samsung added.

It’s worth adding that the U.S. price is not expected to be an exact translation of the Korean price and there have been rumors that the price could be as high as $2,999. We’ll see. I suspect Samsung will pick a price that’s high, to confirm this is a premium product, but not impossible.

As to what else to expect from the phone, there are neat details in the Bloomberg report. “At its thinnest point, the TriFold measures 3.9 millimeters (0.15 inch). Inside, it contains a 5,600 milliamp-hour battery, marking the largest capacity that Samsung has used in a folding phone so far. The battery provides as much as 17 hours of consecutive video playback with the TriFold display fully open,” it reads. You can also read details about the phone on Prakhar Khanna’s post here on Forbes.

The phone will close by folding left and right parts in to the middle — so not a Z shape at all. Mind you, two folds doesn’t sound like “trifold” to me either. I fear it’s too late for sensible minds to get hold of this and rename phones with two folds as Bifold, but the name is irksome, to say the least, or am I just being pedantic?

“In a brief hands-on session, the TriFold was intuitive to use. If the user begins to fold it incorrectly — by closing the right side before the left, for instance — the phone quickly warns them with on-screen notifications and physical vibrations,” Bloomberg comments.

More than that, we know that the Galaxy Z TriFold will have three cameras, matching the Galaxy Z Fold7, meaning the new phone will include a 200MP main camera.

And it will be the first major competition to Huawei’s Mate XT — which does fold in the shape of a Z so perhaps has a better claim to the name, or am I being pedantic again? Huawei’s phone is fractionally thinner when folded, measuring 12.8mm against Samsung’s 12.9mm.

But Samsung’s phone pulls off an interesting trick. Although it’s thicker than the Z Fold7 (which only folds once, not twice) which is 8.9mm when folded, it’s only a little thicker than last year’s Z Fold6 which was 12.1mm when closed. To add an extra fold but less than a millimeter of thickness in total is noteworthy.

It seems that the Z Trifold will also lack something the Z Fold6 had, which is compatibility with the S Pen stylus. The Z Fold7 doesn’t support the S Pen either, so this may not be a surprise.

The three panels on the TriFold (so, should that be called TriPanel? Okay, I’ll get off the pedantic tip now) are all different thicknesses. The thinnest is 3.9mm thick, the central one is 4.2mm and the third is 4mm.

The thinnest has a physical SIM card slot, which is interesting because the iPhone Air does not, and it’s thicker. Reports suggest the predicted iPhone Fold will not find room for a SIM card tray either.

Samsung has also said that the fold is robust and that the phone undergoes a lot of testing, specifically “a 200,000-cycle multi-folding test, equivalent to folding the device approximately 100 times a day for five years.”.

ForbesiOS 26.2 Release Date: What To Expect And When From The Next Critical iPhone UpdateBy David Phelan



Source link

Continue Reading

Tech

Galaxy TriFold Revealed, OnePlus 15’s American Adventure, Pixel 10a Pricing

Published

13 hours ago

on

December 6, 2025

By


Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including the Galaxy Z TriFold arrives, Galaxy S26 Ultra specs, the new Exynos promise, Pixel 10a pricing, Nubia Fold details, OnePlus 15 heads to America, and Google’s QPR2 source code released.

Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Android in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Apple news here on Forbes.

The Galaxy’s Number Is Now Three

Samsung has launched the highly anticipated Galaxy Z TriFold, a foldable device with three screen elements and two hinges to offer a pocketable phone and a tablet screen that is significantly less square than other foldable devices in the South Korean company’s portfolio. It’s a technical marvel, but it may not be the best seller some in the community are looking for:

“It will be available more widely, but no date has yet been attached. “Samsung Electronics will launch the ‘Galaxy Z Trifold’ in Korea on the 12th and then launch it sequentially to global markets such as China, Taiwan, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States,” Samsung said in a newsroom post. No exact date yet, then, though I’d be astonished if it was before 2026.”

The Galaxy S26 Comparison

What will be a best seller, all being well, will be the Galaxy S26 family. With specifications widely available, albeit unconfirmed by Samsung, it’s possible to compare the upcoming S26 devices with the current S25 models. As the flagship, the Galaxy 26 Ultra has the most scrutiny:

“Samsung is switching to a new 6.9-inch M14 AMOLED panel, although it probably will not get much brighter. European users will likely only get 12GB RAM, compared with 16GB in other regions such as China. At least Samsung fans around the world will probably get to enjoy the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 instead of the Exynos 2600.”

Here Comes The Exynos

Samsung has confirmed its flagship Exynos 2600 chipset. This will draw direct comparison to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite 5 chipset, which is currently debuting in premium handsets across the Android space. The Samsung community has generally preferred Snapdragon over Exynos, at least on the top-tier Galaxy Ultra handsets. The S26 Ultra is still expected to ship in the first quarter of 2026 with a Snapdragon chipset, but Exynos could dominate the other handsets in the S26 family. Sammobile’s Asif Shak has more:

“A teaser video of the Exynos 2600 was just published by Samsung on its YouTube channel. In the video, the company says, “In silence, we listened,” hinting at controversies around performance and overheating issues associated with some previous Exynos chips. It is the South Korean firm’s indirect way of saying it understands the criticism around its chips and that it intends to improve upon their shortcomings.”

The Pixel 10a Price Conundrum

Google’s next smartphone is expected to be the Pixel 10a, which will bring the latest AI-focused hardware and smartphone technology to the mid-range. It’s expected to remain at $499, but there are still questions that need to be addressed.I took a closer look at these earlier this week.

“A more interesting question on the price will be around the pricing in the Google Store. The Pixel 9a has been discounted by $100 in the US store for a long time before the Pixel Black Friday offers. There’s every chance that the discount stays in place for Christmas. Will this forever discount carry on into the new year? What happens when the Pixel 10a arrives? Does the Pixel 9a remain discounted, and does the Pixel 10a lock in at $499 for the summer? Or does the continued use of older silicon see the 9a quietly removed from the portfolio, leaving the Pixel 10a as he sole ‘A-class’ on sale as a new handset?”

Nubia Fold Details Published

The first folding smartphone from Nubia has been confirmed by Japanese network Y!mobile. The Nubia Fold has appeared on its website, with a list price of 178,560 yen ($1,145). Given the specs, this is a very competitive offer, especially if this Fold gets a global release. GSM Arena has collected the specs, including the all-important display.

“The nubia Fold features an 8-inch main display with 2,480 x 2,200px resolution and a 6.5-inch cover screen with 2,748 x 1,172px resolution. Both panels offer 120Hz refresh rates, and the main panel supports split view modes for certain apps…

America Is Ready For The OnePlus 15

Following its global release, those looking for the OnePlus 15 in the United States were left in limbo. Without FCC certification, the device cannot go on sale, and with the government shutdown, no certification could be issued. Well, that hurdle has now passed. As GSMArena notes, the FCC is back in business, the certification has been issued, and the OnePlus 15’s US adventure is set to continue.

And Finally…

Google has released the source code for its latest Android update, feeding it back into the open-source community. Given the two-month delay in the release of Android 16’s QPR1, the community is taking the almost immediate release of QPR2 as a positive sign.

“Given that context, some developers worried Google might repeat that strategy and withhold Android 16 QPR2’s source code for an unspecified time. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened. Google started uploading Android 16 QPR2’s source code almost immediately after releasing the update. This suggests the previous delay was indeed tied to the mid-cycle Pixel Drop, and that today’s update — while not officially labeled a Pixel Drop — is one in all but name.

Android Circuit rounds up the news from the Android world every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future, and of course, read the sister column in Apple Loop! Last week’s Android Circuit can be found here, and if you have any news and links you’d like to see featured in Android Circuit, get in touch!



Source link

Continue Reading

Tech

iPhone 17 Pro Display Issues, Apple’s Satellite Upgrades, Four New MacBook Pro Models

Published

13 hours ago

on

December 6, 2025

By


Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines from across the Apple world, including iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 sales success, balancing iOS 18 and iOS 26, four new MacBooks, Apple Satellite upgrades, moving to Meta, and the Christmas Tree lights are turned on.

Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Apple in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes.

An iPhone 17 Pro Display Warning

Apple’s new cover on the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max displays has increased the protection on offer. Ceramic Shield 2 also increases scratch resistance and reduces reflections. Yet its interaction with some screen protectors reduces the anti-reflection technology, which requires direct contact with air. An iPhone 17 study by Astropad has taken a closer look at the impact of a screen protector. Forbes contributor David Phelan looks at the options you have:

“[the report] goes on to say that some screen protectors, when placed on top of Ceramic Shield 2, doubled the amount of reflectivity on the display. An anti-reflective coating is desirable, so this result is not.

“The study promotes Astropad’s Fresh Coat solution as a way or reducing reflectivity, though you could argue that it might be an even better solution to not put any protector on at all, if Apple’s claims of less scratchability prove correct — and they haven’t been widely disproved yet”

Apple Reaps iPhone 17 Rewards

The success of the iPhone 17 in global markets is having a positive effect on the iPhone market. New research from IDC suggests that Apple is on course to grow sales by more than six percent, in large part due to the vanilla iPhone’s adoption by the Chinese market. Juli Clover takes a closer look at the numbers:

“Total 2025 shipments are forecast to grow 6.1 percent year over year due to iPhone 17 demand and increased sales in China, a major market for Apple. Overall worldwide smartphone shipments across Android and iOS are forecast to grow 1.5 percent, primarily because of the success of the iPhone.”

The Balance Between iOS 18 and iOS 26

Since the launch of the iPhone 17 and iOS 26, Apple has been supporting iOS 18 for older incompatible iPhones and for users who are not yet ready — for whatever reason — to upgrade their phones. While the updated versions of iOS 18 are still available, the UI has been reconfigured to highlight iOS 26 and minimze the visibility of iOS 18.

“…the iPhone’s Software Update screen now features iOS 26.1 prominently, while iOS 18.7.2 has been demoted to ‘alternate version’ status. Users may now see a badge on the Settings app indicating the new update is available, but it won’t be installed without direct user action. For major OS upgrades, users need to manually install the new version even when they have ‘Automatic updates’ turned on.:

Three New MacBooks Before One Big Boss

This week saw a rush of details around Apple’s plans for the MacBook. While the M5 chipset has made a soft debut, 2026 should see more variants going on sale throughout the year. These will include a low-cost MacBook that will likely compete with Chromebooks, an update to the MacBook Air and the introduction of an M5 Pro MacBook Pro model. As for the fourth model…

“The biggest update arrives later in the year. Both Kuo and Gurman say Apple is working on a redesigned MacBook Pro with M6 chips and OLED displays. These machines are expected to bring some of the most dramatic changes in years, including …OLED panels with deeper blacks, higher contrast, and better power efficiency …Touch-screen support while keeping the full keyboard and trackpad.”

The Benfits And Cost Of Apple Satellite

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has revealed Apple’s plans for satellite connectivity, including navigation in Apple Maps, support for sending photos in Messages, and an API to allow developers to offer satellite connectivity. The question now is who pays for the services?

“Today, Apple’s satellite connectivity features are available for free. For more advanced capabilities in the future, Apple reportedly plans to let customers pay satellite carriers for features directly. Apple could also create a paid option for extended connectivity with a company like SpaceX. Gurman added that there have been discussions in the company about offering its own satellite service, but concerns that Apple shouldn’t act like a carrier have stifled that possibility.”

Apple To Meta Moves

One of Apple’s longest-tenured executives is leaving the company to join Meta. Alan Dye has been the head of Apple’s user interface design team for ten years. Meta’s move is seen as a precursor to designing and releasing new hardware, and will start work as Chief Design Officer on Dec. 31. Apple confirmed the move in a statement provided to Bloomberg News:

“Steve Lemay has played a key role in the design of every major Apple interface since 1999,” Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said in the statement. “He has always set an extraordinarily high bar for excellence and embodies Apple’s culture of collaboration and creativity.”

And Finally…

The annual Christmas Tree reveal at Apple’s offices in Battersea, South London. Previously, Apple turned to noted designers and artists. This year twenty-four designs by the public are in rotation until Christmas Eve:

“Apple’s annual holiday projections go live at 5 p.m. U.K. time on Thursday, Dec. 4. These projections light up the 330-feet chimneys and washtowers of the Battersea Power Station in south London, Apple’s U.K. HQ. This year, for the first time, members of the public could submit their designs: Apple has just revealed the winners, and they look great.””

Apple Loop brings you seven days worth of highlights every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future. Last week’s Apple Loop can be read here, or this week’s edition of Loop’s sister column, Android Circuit, is also available on Forbes.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending