Google__ The Missing Manual - Kevin Purdy [46]
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Other Android apps that deal in images or photos can Share images with Google+ in this same fashion: Tap the app’s Share button, choose Google+, and the photo shows up primed for posting. There’s more on sharing photos (and text and links and more) on Sending Things to Google+ from Other Apps (Android Only).
Uploading photos automatically from an Android phone or tablet
The single best feature of the Google+ Android app is its ability to automatically upload photos from your phone to a private Google+ album. Why is that the best feature? Typically, getting all your photos off any cellphone and onto the Web involves hunting down a special USB cable, connecting the phone to your computer, launching a program to sync your photos to your computer, then uploading them through a web browser to a photo-sharing service. And all that is to just get your photos ready to share.
The Instant Upload feature on Android phones and tablets makes the upload process much simpler. Once you turn this feature on, it watches your device for new photos and videos. When it finds any, the Google+ app automatically uploads them to a special spot in your Google+ account (and in Picasa Web Albums, as explained in a bit). You might have already seen the “Photos from your phone” category on the left side of your Photos page, and that’s exactly where your Instant Upload photos end up. Nobody can see them except you—at least until you choose to share them.
How do you turn on Instant Upload? The most recent version of the Google+ Android app asks you about Instant Upload when you first install the app. If you tell the app to turn this feature on, you then have to decide when you want to upload photos: whenever your phone has a data connection (either WiFi [a.k.a. wireless] or mobile network [often referred to as 3G or 4G]), or only when you’re connected to a WiFi router (usually at home or work). “Over Wi-Fi only” is the safest bet because it can save you from incurring fees for going over your monthly allowance of mobile-network data and prevent battery drain caused by uploading lots of images over a mobile network, which can take forever.
If you disabled Instant Upload when setting up the Google+ app or you want to tweak your WiFi/mobile network preference, you can do that in the app’s settings. Head to the app’s home page by tapping the gray Google+ logo in the upper-left corner the screen, and then press your phone or tablet’s Menu button. (On a phone, this is usually the button just below the screen itself; on an Android tablet, this is the onscreen button in the lower-left corner that looks like a small 3-by-2 grid.) Next, in the row of black buttons that appears at the bottom of your screen, tap Settings. Scroll with your finger toward the bottom of the list of options till you see the Instant Upload section. You can simply check the Instant Upload box to turn it on, but you’ll want to tap “Instant Upload settings” to control how your phone sends images over to Google+. More on these settings in Chapter 8.
Uploading from an iPhone
Uploading photos to Google+ from an iPhone is nearly the same as on an Android phone. Assuming you have the Google+ app installed (iPhone/iPod Touch) and you’re signed into your account, open the app and head to the Photos section (Viewing Photos). At the top-right corner of the Photos screen, you’ll see two icons: a camera and a small stack of what look like Polaroid pictures. Tap the Polaroid icon.
When you do, you’ll see a selection screen that you might recognize from other iPhone apps. You can choose from albums you’ve synced