How to save photos to camera roll from google drive

On Android there is no option to transfer multiple photos from Google Photos back to your camera roll.

Also note that it is not really safe to delete from your device without making an extra backup. See this article.

I use Google Drive to keep a backup of my photos that I’ve captured over the years because I ran out of storage on iCloud. While revisiting some of the old pictures on Google Drive, I realized that I couldn’t download multiple photos to my iPhone at once. If you’ve been in a similar situation, I’ve found an easy way to save multiple photos from Google Drive to iPhone quickly. Let’s check it out.

What’s the Problem?

While the Google Drive app has plenty of intuitive features such as in-built FaceID and TouchID, you can’t select multiple images and then download them to the Photos app. Google hasn’t fixed this limitation for some reason, but we can with a simple workaround.

Save Multiple Photos from Google Drive to iPhone

Turns out, Apple allows Google Drive to be mapped in the Files app so you can access all your files in one place. The Files app lets you access files stored in iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, and the iPhone storage.

When you open the Files app, you won’t see the option to access Google Drive because we need to enable it first. Open the Files app on your iPhone and tap the browse button on the bottom of the screen.

Now, tap the options button on the top right corner to reveal the drop-down menu. Tap Edit.

You would see Google Drive with a toggle switch next to it, tap to enable it. We can now access Google Drive and all the files and folders stored on it.

To download the images, simply navigate to the folder where the images are stored in the Google Drive folder on the Files app. Then tap the options button on the top right corner.

Select all the photos you want to download by swiping your finger over the checkboxes on the left. After that, tap the share button on the bottom left and tap Save image. The app would take some time to download all the images to the Photos app and you can find them on your iPhone after that. Easy peasy!

Why Save Photos from Google Drive to iPhone

I guess you want to share it via another app or want some of them offline. Either way, now you know there is a quick way to save multiple photos from Google Drive to your iPhone. It’s weird that Google Drive doesn’t have this option built right in the app and you need to use the Files app to achieve this. What do you think? Do you have a better way to download multiple photos? Let me know on Twitter.

Here's a complete step by step guide on how to save photos and videos from Google Drive to your iPhone's Camera Roll.

Saving Photos & Videos From Google Drive to your iPhone is Easy, Here's How it's Done

If you make use of Google Drive on your iPhone a lot, then you should know how to save photos and videos straight to your Camera Roll. The process is easy and all it takes is a couple of taps, or more, depending on how dire the situation is. Pick up your iPhone and let's jump right into action.

Tutorial

1. Download and install Google Drive on your iPhone if you haven't already and launch it from your home screen.

2. Find the photo or video you wish to download from Google Drive.

3. Once found, tap on the 'three vertical dots' icon underneath the image.

4. Now tap on Send a copy.

5. Select Save Image.

Google Drive will require access to your Photos app in order to save the image, so make sure you have given the app the required permissions. If you haven't, then the app won't save anything at all. You can set your permissions by going to Settings > Privacy > Photos and enable Drive from this location.

Although you have the option to save photos and videos for offline use directly within the app, but you get more control over content once saved directly on your device. For instance, if there's an image you wish to edit using iOS's built-in editor, you can only kick things off by saving the image from Google Drive to your iPhone first.

If you do plan on saving the file for offline use, then simply find the file in Google Drive first, then tap on the 'three vertical dots' icon. Scroll down a little and you will see an option labeled Available offline. Tap on it, and the content will be available locally, but within the Google Drive app.

Wrap Up

There are tons of cloud services out there but there's nothing quiet like Google Drive. It ties in nicely with Google's entire ecosystem, and thanks to its versatility, feels right at home on iOS as well.

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