Developers have found a way to pirate cloud storage from Google Photos. Google offers unlimited storage of full-resolution photos and videos for its Pixel users, and now, some developers have found a way to subvert that Pixel device requirement to obtain plentiful Google Photos storage on any Android device running Nougat or higher.
The workaround isn't simple. Users will have to root their device, download a file that's already found on Pixel phones, load that file onto their device, and in some cases, go even further with additional, more complicated adjustments. You can view the full hack here on XDA Developers. A developer initially created the workaround to obtain exclusive Pixel wallpapers and seemed to view unlimited Google Photos storage as an added bonus.
We haven't tested the steps above, and XDA says that some developers have found that it still results in uploaded photos and videos counting against their Google Drive storage. Others say it works for them. XDA Developer didn't verify the claim, although it said it would update its post when and if it does.
Still, I wouldn't expect the hack to exist for much longer. It seems like something Google could easily patch on its end, and at this point, the company must know the workaround exists. We've reached out to Google for comment.
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