How Does Amazon Photos Work? Storage, Syncing, Backups, and Pricing

Amazon is well-known for its streaming and online shopping services, but you may not know that if you have a Prime membership, you also get access to Amazon Photos.

Now that Amazon Drive is no longer active, Amazon’s cloud storage offerings are down to AWS object storage and Amazon Photos.

If you’re interested in cloud storage for photographers, Amazon Photos is an attractive option as your Amazon Prime subscription includes unlimited cloud storage for photos.

In this article, we answer the question of how does Amazon Photos work, and how it compares to other cloud storage options for photos available.

Table of contents

• What is Amazon Photos?
• How does Amazon Photos work for Prime customers?
• How does Amazon Photos work?
• How does Amazon Photos work to protect your photos?
• What is the best alternative to Amazon Photos?
• Related products
• Frequently asked questions

What is Amazon Photos?

Amazon Photos is Amazon’s cloud storage service for storing, backing up, organizing, and sharing photos and videos online. It was originally launched as Prime Photos, and Amazon also offered cloud storage for documents with Amazon Drive, but this service has since been discontinued.

Now, Amazon focuses on cloud storage for photos so you can automatically back up your photos and videos from your phone, computer, or tablet. Amazon Photos also integrates with its Alexa products to display your photos on compatible Echo Show devices and other supported screens.

Amazon Photos is a different cloud storage model than AWS, which is meant for object storage for enterprises, whereas Amazon Photos is meant for personal use or families to back up and protect their photo albums.

How does Amazon Photos work for Prime customers?

If you’re already signed up for Amazon Prime, then your account includes unlimited cloud storage with your subscription, available at no extra cost, and no separate subscription is required.

To access Photos, you can download the app or log in via the website using your Prime membership credentials, and you can start using the platform to back up your photos in the cloud.

How does Amazon Photos work for non-Prime members?

If you don’t have an Amazon Prime membership, you can still use Amazon Photos. When you visit their website, you can sign up for a free account, and you will get 5GB of free cloud storage for photos and videos.

If you want to upgrade your free plan but don’t need the unlimited storage included with a Prime membership, Amazon offers monthly plans at the following rates.

For all plans, including the unlimited tier, Amazon Photos has a storage limit of 5GB for videos, so if you need to back up large videos in the cloud that are over this limit, you may want to consider a more robust cloud storage for videos option that meets your storage demands.

How does Amazon Photos work?

Once you set up your Amazon Photos account, you can start backing up your photos in the cloud by following these steps.

1. Install the Amazon Photos app on your smartphone or tablet, or access Amazon Photos through a web browser on your computer.
2. Allow the app to access your photos and videos when prompted. This permission allows Amazon Photos to see the media you want to back up.
3. Enable automatic backup if you want your photos and videos to be uploaded automatically. The app can then upload new photos and videos as they are added to your device.
4. Leave the app to upload your files. Depending on your settings, internet connection, number of files, and file sizes, the initial backup can take some time.
5. Once uploaded, your photos are stored in your Amazon Photos cloud library. The original files remain on your phone unless you choose to delete them yourself.
6. Open Amazon Photos on another device and sign in with the same Amazon account. Your uploaded photos can then be accessed from that device.
7. You can also manually upload additional photos or videos whenever you want instead of relying only on automatic backup.
8. If you stop using a device, lose it, or replace it, the photos that were successfully backed up remain available in your Amazon Photos account, so you can access them from another supported device.

Amazon Photos therefore works in the same way as Internxt Photos, iCloud Photos, and Google Photos.

You can learn more about these in our blog, where we also cover how does iCloud Photos work, and Amazon Photos vs Google Photos.

Unlike Amazon, iCloud, and Google, Internxt Photos is the only service offering end-to-end and post-quantum encryption for your photos, guaranteeing that only you can view your photos.

How does Amazon Photos work to protect your photos?

Security

As your Amazon Photos account is also connected to your Prime account, it’s especially important to keep your accounts secure to prevent unauthorized access to your Photos and Prime account.

To secure your account, you must first start off with a strong password, which you can create for free with Internxt’s password generator.

From there, Amazon has the following security measures:

1. Two-step verification: Amazon allows you to enable two-step verification on your account. When enabled, signing in can require both your password and an additional verification method, such as a code sent to your phone or generated through an authenticator app.
2. Passkeys: If supported on your account and device, Amazon can also allow you to use a passkey for sign-in. This can provide an alternative to entering your password.
3. Device and session access: You should review which devices and applications have access to your Amazon account and remove access from devices you no longer use or recognize.
4. Account recovery information: Keeping your recovery email address and phone number current is important because Amazon can use them to help verify your identity and recover your account.

Encryption

Amazon Photos is not end-to-end encrypted, and although it is secure in the sense that it encrypts data in transit and on its servers, your photos are not encrypted directly on your device.

This makes Amazon Photos a less private option than secure cloud storage options like Internxt Drive and Internxt Photos. Internxt encrypts files on your device before they are sent to our European cloud data centers, so only you and nobody else can view your photos, backups, or folders you share.

In contrast, as photos are stored on Amazon’s servers, they hold the encryption keys to your photos, meaning Amazon employees or law enforcement agencies can request and gain access to your photos.

For a private cloud storage solution for your Photos, Internxt offers the best cloud storage to protect photos from data loss and to keep your information free from AI and big tech surveillance.

Photo sharing

Amazon Photos gives you several ways to share your photos online while keeping control over what you share and who can access your shared photo albums.

You can select individual photos, multiple photos, or entire albums and share them with other people. This allows you to share specific content without giving someone access to your entire Amazon Photos library, and you can restrict access whenever you need.

However, like when you share photos or files with Google, Amazon Photos does not have password-protected file sharing, so anyone with access to a shared link could access and download your photos.

If you need to share photos privately, Internxt Drive allows you to set a password when sharing photos online via a link or email to prevent unauthorized access to your photos. If you need a free file sharing service, Internxt Send offers the same encrypted file sharing for photo albums up to 5GB, which you can use as many times as you like.

What is the best alternative to Amazon Photos?

Internxt Photos is the best alternative to Amazon Photos thanks to its emphasis on privacy with post-quantum, end-to-end encryption, password-protected photo sharing, and automatic cloud storage backups.

Internxt Photos is part of the Internxt Drive product suite, which offers European cloud storage built on open-source and security-audited software to give you peace of mind that your photos and personal data are safe.

Unlike Amazon and Google Photos, photos that you automatically back up in Internxt Photos are free from AI tools that can use your photos for data profiling. With Internxt, your photos are backed up for restoration in case of accidental data loss and encrypted to guarantee your privacy.

While Amazon Photos is focused on cloud storage for Photos, Internxt’s Ultimate plan gives you everything you need to protect your privacy online, including an encrypted email, secure video conferencing, an encrypted VPN, and more.

To get Internxt’s full product suite, or to see what other features we have to offer, visit our website and click the link below to get your 85% discount on any Internxt monthly or lifetime cloud storage plan.

Get 85% off

Related products

Internxt Photos – Secure Cloud Storage for Photos

Internxt Photos is a private, secure photo storage app for automatic backups and syncing. Zero-knowledge, open source, and private.

Internxt Mail - The Best Encrypted Email for Privacy.

Internxt Mail is an encrypted email solution that keeps your inbox safe. Thanks to post-quantum encryption, Internxt is the most secure email service for privacy.

The Best Encrypted Email for Privacy.

Internxt Mail - The Best Encrypted Email for Privacy.

Internxt Mail is an encrypted email solution that keeps your inbox safe. Thanks to post-quantum encryption, Internxt is the most secure email service for privacy.

The Best Encrypted Email for Privacy.

Frequently asked questions

Is Amazon Photos free?

Yes. Free Amazon Photos accounts include 5GB of free storage. Amazon Prime members get unlimited photo storage, or you can create an account and pay for cloud storage separately.

Can Amazon Photos replace Google Photos or iCloud Photos?

Yes, Amazon offers automatic backups, but it only includes photo storage, whereas Google Photos and iCloud Photos offer more features.

None of these services are end-to-end encrypted, so if you want secure photo storage and a full privacy suite, Internxt Photos is the best alternative.

Do Amazon Prime members get unlimited photo storage?

Yes. Prime members receive unlimited photo storage, subject to Amazon’s current terms.