Google's offer of unlimited backup storage for original-quality photos taken with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL until 2020 will never affect the files you uploaded to the cloud until the end of the first phase of the promotional period, a teardown of the latest version of Google Photos revealed, as reported by Android Police. From early 2021, owners of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will still be able to create backups of their photos and videos but will only be able to store them in a somewhat compressed format that Google still claims is a "high-quality" one less they want to use their storage quota, with this particular promotion being largely identical to the one offered for the original Pixel and Pixel XL last year.

The information comes directly from a message found in the latest version of the Google Photos Android app which has yet to go live and will presumably do so only on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. From the moment you purchase either smartphone until December 31st, 2020, you'll be able to create Google Drive backups of all photos and videos recorded with your flagship in their original quality and those files will never be deleted, resized, or otherwise compressed, the message states. Shortly following the release of the new Google Photos build, the official Pixel 2 listing on the Google Store was updated to state that the same offer was extended to January 15th, 2021.

The revised version of the app also contains new references to the service's ability to identify pets, with one string mentioning "important cats and dogs," suggesting that Google Photos will perhaps attempt to single out images of your pets which it deems particularly noteworthy. The Android app is already capable of automatically creating pet videos by choosing what it identifies as the best photos of your animals, with that particular feature presumably being related to the one referenced by the newly discovered string. The latest version of Google Photos for Android started rolling out on the Google Play Store on Wednesday and should soon be available for download in all parts of the world; refer to the banner below to check if you're already able to install it in your country. On the user-facing side of things, the app should now be able to share videos in a swifter manner, according to the company's official changelog.