Summertime is upon us, and as we all shift away from intense office work, we’re diving headfirst into the bliss of summer vacations. With the joy of exploring new places, the beach trips, hiking adventures, or city explorations, comes the urge to capture these beautiful moments through photos and videos.

However, have you ever wondered where all these memories go? If you have an iPhone or an Android phone, the answer is likely iCloud or Google Photos. But as you enjoy your summer escape, it’s time to question: are these platforms the best places to store your precious memories?

Proprietary closed-source applications like iCloud or Google Photos may seem convenient, but they don’t provide full control over your digital content. These tech oligopolies have repeatedly proven that their main priority is financial gain over user rights. Remember when Google Photos, after years of building an Android ecosystem around its free service, suddenly started charging for storage? A classic case of the ‘freemium’ model that locks you into a system before introducing charges ( Read More).

Regain control of your photos with Nextcloud

To break free from such unwelcome surprises and regain control of your summer memories, consider an open-source alternative: Nextcloud. As you might already know, Nextcloud is a self-hosted file sync and share server that allows you to maintain complete control over your data. You can either host it on your own server (the most ideal scenario) or access the platform as a service from an entity like ours. There are also other community providers you can choose from ( Check out the list here).

Upload your summer photos automatically on Nextcloud

Setting up Nextcloud isn’t a tech labyrinth. Once you have it up and running, you can synchronize your data (and photos) with your Android phone easily. Here is a simple guide on how to upload your summer vacation photos after having installed your Nextcloud isntance.

For Android:

1. Install Nextcloud Android App: Download and install the Nextcloud Android app from the F-Droid store. F-Droid is an open-source alternative to Google Play Store and offers privacy-friendly apps. You can download the F-Droid APK here. After installing F-Droid, you can search for the Nextcloud app and install it.

2. Add Your Nextcloud Account: Open the app and input your Nextcloud server URL, then your username and password. This connects your phone to your Nextcloud account.

3. Enable Auto Upload: Go to the app’s settings menu, look for “Auto upload” and enable it.

4. Choose Folders: Select which folders you want to be uploaded automatically. By default, it chooses your camera folder, but you can add more.

5. Configure Settings: You can configure how it uploads - whether to upload only when connected to Wi-Fi, only when charging, etc.

After this setup, your photos and videos will be automatically uploaded to your Nextcloud server in the background whenever you’re connected to Wi-Fi (or as per your settings).

For iPhone:

Since F-Droid is not available on iOS, iPhone users would need to download the Nextcloud app from the Apple App Store. Here’s how:

1. Install Nextcloud iOS App: Download and install the Nextcloud iOS app from the Apple App Store.

2. Add Your Nextcloud Account: Open the app, enter your Nextcloud server URL, then your username and password.

3. Enable Auto Upload: Tap on “More” in the menu at the bottom, then on “Settings”, then on “Advanced”, and finally on “Transfers”. Here, enable “Camera Upload” and specify whether you want it to upload photos, videos, or both.

4. Choose Upload Folder: By default, it creates a new folder in your Nextcloud named ‘Photos’ where it uploads all pictures and videos. If you wish to change this, you can do so in the same settings.

5. Configure Settings: You can also specify whether you want it to upload only when on Wi-Fi, only when the phone is charging, etc.

After this, your photos and videos will be automatically uploaded to your Nextcloud server whenever you’re connected to Wi-Fi (or as per your settings).

Remember, while this function is automatic, it’s always wise to periodically verify that your uploads are occurring correctly and to maintain backup copies of very important photos or videos.

Focus on enjoying your summer, we’ll make sure of the rest…

So, are you interested in making this switch and ensuring that your summer vacation photos are not just safely stored, but also under your control? Have a look at our Nextcloud Starter and Medium+ packages. Select the one that best suits your needs in terms storage space, tech support priority, and backup frequency (weekly for Starter packages and daily for Medium+ packages).

The memories we make during our summer vacations are priceless. They remind us of good times, beautiful places, and happy moments with loved ones. By choosing Nextcloud, you can ensure that these memories remain safely stored and completely under your control, not at the mercy of a proprietary platform’s changing policies.

Take the step toward digital independence this summer. Take back control of your memories. After all, they’re yours. Shouldn’t they stay that way? With Nextcloud, they can. So here’s to an amazing, fun-filled, and truly free summer, unchained from the lock-in tactics of tech giants.

Happy summer and happy photo capturing, everyone!