Facebook has confirmed a tool that enables users to easily export their pictures to Google Photos has rolled out to all users.
After arriving in Ireland late last year and hitting the US and Canada last month, the company now says all users around the globe can now access the tool.
It’s part of Facebook’s commitment to a wider tech industry Data Transfer Project and will enable Facebook users who maybe pondering leaving the service to delete their accounts without having to manually save all of their photos first.
If you have a Google Photos account where all of your photos and videos are kept anyway, this is somewhat of a no brainer.
Here’s how to do it:
1) Go you Your Facebook Information in your Facebook Settings
2) Select ‘Transfer a copy of your photos or videos and click ‘View’ to begin transferring photos and videos
3) Enter your Facebook password
4) Choose Google photos from the dropdown menu (Facebook says more portals will be integrated soon)
5) Select ‘Confirm Transfer’ and enter your Google Photos password.
Once the transfer is complete Facebook will send you a notification and an email. You’ll also have to transfer your videos and photos separately, for some reason.
The move is all part of an agreement between Facebook, Microsoft, Google and Twitter to enable users to move their data between services so the public isn’t beholden to any of them. The Data Transfer Project is rolling out slowly though and the only service available to Facebook users right now is Google Photos. That’s likely to expand to Microsoft’s OneDrive platform in the future.
Related: How to delete your Facebook account
In a tweet on Thursday, Facebook’s Alexandru Voica wrote: “Today, we are reaching 100% rollout of our photo and video transfer tool that enables people to port their photos directly to Google Photos. With this rollout, the tool is now available globally to everyone on Facebook.”
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
