Google Photos - Persistent Quota Issue

ncw · May 11, 2021, 3:43pm

I think these are the important limitations if changing client_id (from the docs)

Albums

Rclone can only upload files to albums it created. This is a limitation of the Google Photos API.

Rclone can remove files it uploaded from albums it created only.

Deleting files

Rclone can remove files from albums it created, but note that the Google Photos API does not allow media to be deleted permanently so this media will still remain. See bug #109759781.

SL-Gundam · May 11, 2021, 3:58pm

Learned something new then. I use Google Drive so my situation was different.

My advise for anyone using google photos.
Upload to google drive and sync against that. Use google photos to import the stuff from google drive. I believe the end result would be better.

Antohagg · May 12, 2021, 6:53am

Is this the default Quota on Google or have you asked them to increase the Quotas? If so how did you do it. It seems I have a limit on 10 000.

ncw · May 12, 2021, 9:10am

I think if you do that you get "charged" for two copies of the data don't you?

ncw · May 12, 2021, 9:10am

I send them begging emails to increase the quota which sometimes work!

Antohagg · May 12, 2021, 12:06pm

Couldn't find any contact information. Do you have an email adress?

/Anton

SL-Gundam · May 12, 2021, 7:03pm

Only if you import original quality. High quality is not affected... or it at least it won't until the 1st of june
https://photos.google.com/u/0/storagepolicy

SL-Gundam · May 12, 2021, 7:07pm

For google drive you see those pen icons next to the limit. Those are meant to send a request for a change to that value. Don't know it works for google photos.

Queries per 100 seconds per user is by default 1000. I asked them once last year and once this year and both requests were denied. Then suddenly 2 months ago it changed as requested.

Antohagg · May 12, 2021, 7:24pm

Nice! But who do you ask? I cant find any contact information on any page.

SL-Gundam · May 12, 2021, 7:48pm

I'm sorry. I can only tell you how it works with google drive, not with google photos.

ncw · May 12, 2021, 9:10pm

The same way should work for google photos

However the max limit always seems to be your current limit so you can't actually ask for more.

Google Photos Partner Program <google-photos-partner-program@google.com>

Is the one I use which is sometimes answered. If you are lucky!

DD_E · May 12, 2021, 11:32pm

When you transfer from Google Drive to Google Photos, does folder structure translate to albums?
ie
Drive
~Folder Pets
~~Pets.jpg
does Google Photos make a "Pets" Album and migrate pets.jpg into it? or just dump all images into the main pool?

maintaining album/folder structure was what brought me to rclone in the first place

calisro · May 13, 2021, 12:48pm

Its not really stored in folders in google photos with a structure. It instead names that file with the path:

~2021
~~05
~~~PXL_20210502_193602611.mp4

becomes (yes the slashes are characters here in the file name):
2021／05／PXL_20210502_193602611.mp4

It will look like this with a special unicode character as the file name:

root@s163042:/data/bin# rclone lsf robgs-photos:media/by-month/2021/2021-05/                                       
2021／02／IMG_5579.mp4
2021／05／PXL_20210502_193602611.mp4
2021／05／PXL_20210506_225318381.mp4
2021／05／PXL_20210508_161357393.mp4
2021／05／PXL_20210508_163059528.mp4
2021／05／PXL_20210508_164627071.mp4
2021／05／PXL_20210509_160154808.mp4

The API is pretty limited. I'd really caution using google photos as any form of real backup except the absolute last resort if your other 2 backups got destroyed.

Also I just run this with a --tpslimit=2 and it seems to do okay with errors mostly.

What I do is I store my photos in a few google drives and then on a different provider (b2) so i have backups. Then I use this API to load another copy up to google photos so I can browse them with the google photos app/web because it works well for my wife and I to look at the photos. Yes that takes double the storage space to store in both drive and photos.

DD_E · May 19, 2021, 10:56pm

Nick

Wrote to that email and got a quick automated response.

Thank you for showing interest in increasing your quota however we do have guidelines on how to increase it.

Below are the steps that you need to pass for us to request for an increase on your quota limit:

Prerequisite Steps

oAuth Verification Review

Onboarding Requirements

Use Case Review - COMPLETE

UX Review

Launch Review

Request limit
For development, the API has a default limit of 10,000 requests per day. Additional quota will be made available after you have passed UX review.

Next Steps: Integration and UX requirements

Please reply to this email with screenshots of your app to confirm that your implementation meets all the integration requirements.
We would like to take this opportunity to remind you of our:

A cceptable Use policy

T echnical best practices

U X requirements
Please also review our brand guidelines for how you can/cannot use the Google Photos name and logo in your products and marketing material.

Thanks,
Google Photos team

Wanted your advice on how to proceed- last thing I want to do is get rClone/you under more scrutiny.
Is it ok for me to link and screenshot directly to rClone documentation and privacy policy or would this create a problem?
I don't really have any other idea as to how to show any sort of App/GUI/privacy policy etc. Were all these requirements in place when you got it initially approved?

Thanks

ncw · May 21, 2021, 8:17am

Yes that sounds fine.

Yes I had to jump through quite a few flaming hoops of fire involving making screencasts and stuff like that.