Android background backup of photos not working

[lcoughey]

With my new BlackBerry KeyONE with Android 7.1 on it, I've had an issue where it won't backup my photos until I open the Google Photos app. After an unnecessary reset of my phone (wipe and reload), I found the solution:

-> Settings -> Battery -> click on 3 dot menu -> Battery optimization -> All apps -> Photos

Set Photos to "Not optimized"

Repower phone and let it work its magic in the background.

I think this is a huge mistake to have it default to only backing up when the user opens Google Photos. There should be a menu option with the the Google Photos backup settings to choose battery optimization (backup only when Google Photos is open) or background backup (as soon as the photo is taken).

[helsywarner]

Backup data is stored in a private folder in the user's Google Drive account, limited to 25MB per app. The saved data does not count towards the user's personal Google Drive quota. Only the most recent backup is stored. When a backup is made, the previous backup (if one exists) is deleted.

Users can see a list of apps that have been backed up in the Google Drive app under Settings -> Auto Backup for apps -> Manage backup. The backup data cannot be read by the user or other apps on the device.

Moderation note: The link slipped into this post has been removed.