Amazon offers a variety of different services and benefits, such as Amazon Music, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime shipping, and Amazon Photos, which launched in 2014.
However, some customers may be unfamiliar with what Amazon Photos is and how it works. If you’d like to find out, keep reading this article to learn more about the information I gathered on this topic!
What Is Amazon Photos?
Amazon Photos is an online storage service for photos and videos that can be added from a laptop, desktop computer, or mobile device. Amazon Photos runs on a cloud platform, enabling customers to back up their files regularly with full-resolution photo storage. Additionally, customers have access to 5 GB of storage for their photos.
If you’d like to learn more about how Amazon Photos works, if Amazon Photos is included with Amazon Prime, and more, keep reading this article for more useful facts, tips, and information!
How Does Amazon Photos Work?
Amazon Photos is a cloud-based photo and video storage service similar to the Apple iCloud or Google Drive services.
When customers create an account on Amazon Photos, they are able to upload both photos and videos to the cloud, with Prime members receiving unlimited photo storage and non-Prime members having access to 5GB of storage upfront.
In addition to the storage provided, customers are also given the option to purchase storage plans, which is recommended for customers who require additional space for video footage.
Customers who use Amazon Photos can access it either through an internet browser, the Amazon Photos desktop app, or through a mobile device.
In order to upload photos and videos to Amazon Photos, customers must do the following:
Using a Web Browser
- Log in to your Amazon account and open Amazon Photos
- Select the “Add+” button and then select “Upload photos” from the drop-down menu
- Select which photos you’d like to upload and click “Open.”
Using the iOS App
- Open the Amazon Photos app
- Select More > Upload Photos and Videos
- Select the Camera Roll option and tap the Upload button at the top right corner of the screen
Using the Android App
- Open the Amazon Photos app
- Press and hold the photo you wish to upload until a checkmark icon appears
- Select the Upload option located at the top right corner of the screen
Can Anyone See My Amazon Photos?
When customers upload images to Amazon Photos, their account settings are automatically set to make the photos private.
However, if a customer’s family members, such as children or their spouse, have access to their account, they will be able to see all the content uploaded to the cloud.
Additionally, customers are given the option to share their photos from the Amazon Photos feature by utilizing one of the below options:
- Send images through text, email, or social media
- Create a Members-Only group
- Add family members to the Family Vault feature
Is Amazon Photos Included With Amazon Prime?
Customers who have an Amazon Prime account are granted access to Amazon Photos for free with unlimited photo storage and 5GB of video storage.
However, customers who don’t have a Prime account will only have access to 5GB of photo storage. Therefore, if customers need to store videos on Amazon Photos, they will have to purchase extra storage.
Is Amazon Photos Free?
Amazon Photos is a free service that customers automatically have access to when they sign up for an Amazon account.
However, customers also have the option to purchase storage plans to increase the amount of space available for their photos and videos.
Plans for Amazon Photos begin at $1.99 per month for 100 extra GB per month and increase up to as much as 30TB for over $3,000 per year.
How Much Storage Is Available in Amazon Photos?
Amazon Photos automatically comes with 5GB of photo and video storage space for customers who don’t have an Amazon Prime account, with the option to purchase additional storage space starting at $1.99 per month.
However, customers who do have access to Prime are automatically granted unlimited storage space for photos, as well as 5GB for video footage exclusively.
It’s recommended, though, that customers purchase an additional storage plan if they’re storing video footage for lengthy or ongoing projects that revolve around filming, as 5GB of storage may fill up fast if customers are exclusively using Amazon Photos for video footage.
What Happens to My Photos If I Cancel Amazon Prime?
If customers decide to cancel their Prime account, their storage will be brought down from unlimited to 5GB for photos and videos combined.
Further, if customers have content in Amazon Photos that goes over 5GB of storage, they will have 180 days to remove and relocate their uploads, and they will no longer be able to upload anything to the cloud.
However, if customers have not removed their overlap images past the 180-day time limit, the cloud will begin to automatically delete uploads, beginning with the most recent content added and moving backward.
Is Amazon Photos Safe?
Amazon Photos is a secure feature of Amazon.com, as only those who have access to a customer’s account information are able to access any of the images or videos present on the cloud.
However, customers should note that once they’ve granted access to their account to another individual (through sharing their password or using one of the “share” features), they increase the risk of their account becoming less private.
Therefore, it’s recommended that customers refrain from uploading sensitive or personal images and footage to the Amazon Photos cloud if they intend to share it with another person.
To know more, you can also see our posts on whether or not Amazon Prime photo storage is unlimited, how to get an Amazon Prime free trial without a credit card, and how many devices can use Amazon Prime.