macOS getting photos from Nexus 5

[cerberusss]

So I've got a Nexus 5 and I hook it up with my MacBook. I use Android File Transfer to copy photos from my Nexus 5 its /DCIM/Camera folder to my Macbook. Then I delete them.

However, when I open the Photos app on my Nexus 5, there's still a bunch of pictures there. Why?

 

[mikedt]

In the photos app on the phone, it could be just the thumbnail indexed catalogue of pictures you're seeing. What happens if you try viewing any of them in the photos app, are you still able to view the original full resolution photos? Possibly you deleted the original photos from the DCIM folder but not the thumbnails, and the database has to be re-indexed.

 

[cerberusss]

Yup. Full res available. I've shared it with myself over email, looks fine.

 

[lunatic59]

My guess if you've got sync enabled for your photos with your Google account. The photos app will show you images both on your phone and in the cloud.

Try this ... put the phone into airplane mode first and then move the files to your Mac. Then disconnect it from the Mac and see if the photos won't display in the app.

 

[cerberusss]

My guess if you've got sync enabled for your photos with your Google account.

Yeah, I had sync enabled... I turned it off in settings -> accounts -> Google. However, that's only photo backup. You also have to disable it in Photo app -> Settings -> Backup & Sync.

The Photos app is a grabbag, though. It'll also show stuff I shared on Google Plus. I removed that too, and now it's empty. This is important for me, because it's a confirmation that yes -- I have moved everything to my laptop where it's backed up.

Thanks!

 

[lunatic59]

You might want to keep sync enabled and manage your photos from your Google account. For example, once you copy your photos to your laptop, then log into photos and delete them there once you are sure you have everything. They will delete from your device as well, if you have it set to sync that way. It could potentially prevent you from losing an important picture.