Cloud Storage and Photo Backup on Android: Options Compared
Why backups mattered
The author had a run of bad sectors on microSD cards in early smartphones and lost many photos that had not been copied anywhere else. With a three-year-old at home producing new photos constantly, a safety net became a priority. The author admits to still not having a fail-safe routine, which is why several services were tested in one week.
The options tried
USB cable to a computer
The obvious method and, in the author’s view, probably still the most dependable way to move files. It means plugging in, choosing the right USB mode and digging through folders on both the card and the phone. The author’s Galaxy S could no longer use Mass Storage mode after the Froyo update, so the full 16 GB was only reachable through slower modes. The desktop program Kies was used only for firmware updates.
Dropbox
Newly adopted and the favourite of the group. It can upload several gallery folders at once and recognizes files that are already there. The author wished it could watch chosen folders and upload photos automatically, ideally only over Wi-Fi so a data plan is not burned. Shared links for a file or folder were a strong point. One oddity: files could be deleted from the phone app but folders could not.
SugarSync
Learned about only days earlier. It seemed to offer automatic upload and backup, but the more decorative interface put the author off. The author suspected that judgement might be unfair.
Wuala
Known from companies sending large preview files through its web version. The author found the web interface poor, the app unpleasant, and could not find a way to share a file into it from the gallery. With only 1 GB free it was unlikely to stay.
Google Docs
The author was already a heavy user of Google services, and considered it the best option with the most potential.
What the author wanted most
The key requirement was a consistent experience across the phone and every other device used: an Ubuntu netbook, an office PC or a friend’s Mac. Photos should be reachable as easily as possible.
Free space and yearly cost
| Service | Free space | Paid storage per year |
|---|---|---|
| Dropbox | 2 GB | $100 for 50 GB |
| SugarSync | 5 GB, 25 MB file size limit | $50 for 30 GB |
| Wuala | 1 GB | $30 for 10 GB |
| 7.5 GB | $5 for 20 GB |
Other options mentioned
- Photoshop online storage: 2 GB free, then $20 for 20 GB. Barely used.
- Amazon cloud: not tried, because the author’s past dealings with Amazon had been blocked outside the United States.
- Documents To Go: a long-time favourite from the Palm days, but on Android it stripped spreadsheet formatting that did not return in the web app.
- FTP: seen as a retro approach.
- Picasa: built in and tied to Google storage.
- Social networks: fine for sharing, poor for storing, since photos are often shrunk.
- SkyDrive via Sorami: 25 GB free, but no official Android app at the time, and a document viewer was needed.
- ThinkFree Office: came with the phone, but the Google Docs link could not be found.
- WiFi File Explorer: the preferred desktop sync option. It opens the phone’s files in a web browser over wireless and avoids the Mass Storage problem, though it would not work from the author’s office network.
Frequently asked questions
Why not rely on the microSD card alone?
Cards can develop bad sectors, and photos that exist in only one place are easy to lose. A second copy elsewhere protects them.
Which service won?
Google Docs, with Dropbox as the preferred dedicated sync app.
Are these prices still valid?
No. Plans, free allowances and prices changed long ago, so check each provider's current terms.