Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Verizon Cloud vs Google Photos

Verizon Cloud 4.6★ · Free to download 40
Winner Google Photos
Google Photos 4.8★ · Free to download 75

Google Photos is the stronger choice for photo and video backup due to its more consistent performance and advanced features, despite recent user interface complaints, while Verizon Cloud struggles with reliability and core functionality.

Full reviews: Verizon Cloud · Google Photos

Google Photos generally offers a more reliable and feature-rich experience for photo and video backup, though recent updates have caused user interface frustration. Verizon Cloud, while praised by some for ease of use, is plagued by widespread reports of app instability, login issues, and failed backups.

Head to head

Reliability & Performance edge: Google PhotosR1R3R6R10
Verizon Cloud Verizon Cloud users frequently report issues with the app not working, failing to log in, or constantly displaying error messages R6R14R28. Many experience extremely slow uploads, videos failing to play, and the app heating up their phone R1R3R10R12. Some users also report problems with contacts not syncing or being deleted after updates .
Google Photos Google Photos users also report performance issues, including the app being slow, freezing, or crashing frequently, especially on iOS . Some experience photos not deleting properly or the app losing access to their photos, requiring reinstallation . Videos and live pictures sometimes fail to upload or download .
Ease of Use & Features edge: Google PhotosR2R11R13R15
Verizon Cloud Some Verizon Cloud users find it easy to use for backing up photos, videos, and music R2R11R15. It's valued for storing documents and photos for easy access R13. However, others find it terrible to use, with issues like not merging to new phones and lacking incremental sync .
Google Photos Google Photos is praised for automatically backing up photos and creating memories, videos, and collages . Users appreciate its search capabilities for finding photos . However, recent updates have introduced frustrating UI changes, such as a disliked photo grid, removal of monthly view, and issues with cropping and custom album order . Many find it difficult to manually upload or select specific photos without granting full access to their library R61R73R79R109.
Storage & Data Management tieR4R13R15R33
Verizon Cloud Verizon Cloud is seen as important for storing documents and photos R13R15R33. A significant concern is the reported deletion of cloud content if a user switches carriers R4. Some users also experienced issues with contacts being deleted or messed up after an update .
Google Photos Google Photos is valued for storing all videos and pictures, freeing up phone space . However, many users report issues with the app consuming all their Google storage and making it difficult to unlink or delete photos, often leading to requests to buy more space . There are also complaints about the app deleting photos from the device if not configured carefully .
Customer Service & Support edge: Verizon CloudR7R28R34R54
Verizon Cloud Some Verizon Cloud users praise its great customer service R7R54. However, others report contacting support multiple times without resolution for app issues R28R34.
Google Photos Google Photos reviews do not frequently mention direct customer service experiences. One developer response to a user's issue was perceived as unhelpful and not addressing the core problem .
Privacy Concerns edge: Verizon CloudR8R61R73R79
Verizon Cloud Verizon Cloud reviews do not explicitly raise privacy concerns, though one user mentioned the app is 'not needed' R8.
Google Photos Google Photos users express strong privacy concerns, particularly regarding the app's demand for full access to all photos on a device to function, rather than allowing selection of specific photos R61R73R79R109. Some feel the app is 'nosy' and 'snooping' through their content to create memories they didn't ask for .
Pick Verizon Cloud if

You are a Verizon customer who needs a basic, integrated backup solution and have had positive experiences with Verizon's customer service R7R54.

Pick Google Photos if

You prioritize advanced features like automatic backups, AI-generated memories, and powerful search capabilities, and are willing to navigate recent UI changes and potential privacy trade-offs .

Evidence note: Verizon Cloud reviews are heavily skewed towards recent negative experiences, often detailing app malfunctions and login issues, contrasting with its higher lifetime rating. Google Photos, despite its high lifetime rating, has a significant number of recent negative reviews focusing on UI changes and privacy concerns.

Frequently asked

Does Verizon Cloud work reliably?
Many recent Verizon Cloud users report significant reliability issues, including the app not working, failing to log in, constant error messages, and extremely slow or failed uploads and video playback R6R10R12R14.
Can I easily manage specific photos in Google Photos?
Many Google Photos users find it difficult to manage specific photos, as the app often requires full access to your device's photo library for basic functions like sharing or uploading, rather than allowing selection of individual photos R61R73R79R109.
What happens to my Verizon Cloud data if I switch carriers?
One user explicitly warns that Verizon Cloud will delete your cloud content, including pictures and contacts, if you switch to a different carrier R4.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R1] Verizon Cloud 1/5 · US How does anyone like this?!?!: Am I the only one who doesn’t have DAYS to look back through for a photo or video? And with the app open, the phone gets so hot you can’t hold it!! This is my 3rd different iPhone and they all do the same thing.
  2. [R3] Verizon Cloud 3/5 · US Verizon: Slow & locks up all the time
  3. [R6] Verizon Cloud 1/5 · US No longer functions: Can’t log in. Always says “can’t connect to cloud” before that it stopped backing up saying “something went wrong”
  4. [R10] Verizon Cloud 1/5 · US Your app: Used to work but no it doesn’t work at all. Just get the never ending thinking ball!! What’s going on?
  5. [R2] Verizon Cloud 5/5 · US Best cloud ever: Photos, videos music backed up easily.
  6. [R11] Verizon Cloud 5/5 · US Pbsc: Easy to do
  7. [R13] Verizon Cloud 5/5 · US Up in the Cloud: Verizon Cloud is very important to me for storing important documents and photos so I can access them at any time. That is very convenient for me.
  8. [R15] Verizon Cloud 5/5 · US Saved by the Cloud: Always the cynic... But this Application saved my buttocks when I had to upgrade. Recommend this to keep your pics and contacts backed-up. Easy to restore in the event of a catastrophe... 👍🤗😎
  9. [R4] Verizon Cloud 1/5 · US Don’t use Verizon cloud: Don’t waste your money on Verizon cloud. Once you switch to a different carrier they will Delete your cloud and you will Lose all pictures and contacts. Don’t waste your money and don’t lose your information. Verizon is petty.
  10. [R33] Verizon Cloud 5/5 · US Great: Great app don’t have to worry about losing my pictures
  11. [R7] Verizon Cloud 5/5 · US 𝑮𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒑𝒑: thank you for this app and a great customer service. I hope you have a great day.
  12. [R28] Verizon Cloud 1/5 · US App Does Not Work: When logging in the app says my account does not have Cloud. I do have Cloud, according to my bill and as confirmed by Verizon support, and I can use cloud via the web. Just won’t work on the app. I’ve contacted Verizon support several times but no one seems to be able to fix the problem.
  13. [R34] Verizon Cloud 1/5 · US So annoying and crazy how much they charge for a family plan: Any time I get a new phone I always have logging issues between my new phone and my old one. I just want my old data to be uploaded onto my phone. I spent thirty minutes with customer service telling me this is your plan but I know it wasn’t.
  14. [R54] Verizon Cloud 5/5 · US Amazing: Amazing service and awesome customer service
  15. [R8] Verizon Cloud 1/5 · US Annoying: Not needed.
  16. [R61] Google Photos 1/5 · US Nosy and not worth it: Wanted to upload my photos to a shared album on this app from a work team bonding event. It was a really fun day and I wanted to contribute. If I could select certain photos from my library I would’ve done just that and have a neutral to positive experience on this app. But no, I spent many minutes of my life poking around the app, not knowing why the selected photos I chose
  17. [R73] Google Photos 1/5 · US Terrible UX: Which ever PM/Designer decided this should be a UX and it should be this hard to manually upload a photo to google photos should find a new career. This app is borderline unusable if you don’t want to use automatic backup… I want to manually upload a photo from my iphone, no, I don’t want to scroll through my entire google 10k+ google photo collection most of which are not on my iphon
  18. [R79] Google Photos 1/5 · US Won’t work unless you give Google access to all your photos: Do you want to add a few photos from vacation to a friend’s share Google photo album? Well, forget it, this app will not let you access and share a few photos, it wants every single photo on your phone. The app claims to allow “limited access” but you can punch that button all day, it won’t work. Then, once you allow “full access,” and h
  19. [R12] Verizon Cloud 1/5 · US Awful: Videos failed to play back all the time. Uploading takes forever or outright doesn’t work even over a gigabyte connection. The app is terrible. Time for a new development team.
  20. [R14] Verizon Cloud 1/5 · US Doesn’t work: Keep getting an error message
  21. [R109] Google Photos 1/5 · US Steal your privacy: After update, you cant choose some photos to publish anymore. Only "give me all your photos" or "nothing" options.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store