Google+ Photos is shutting down next month in favor of newer Google Photos

Two months after it launched its brand new Google Photos service, Google is closing its predecessor, Google+ Photos. Starting August 1st, the company will begin shutting down the older service, starting first on Android, before removing support for its web and iOS versions soon after. A prompt inside the Google+ Photos Android app is already suggesting users download the newer software — if they haven’t already — and Google assures users that all their pictures and videos will be saved on the new cloud storage service.

It’ll be a bit of effort transferring photos to the newer service if your camera’s memory card dumped onto Google+ Photos, but it’s hard to imagine many will shed a tear for its loss. Where the older offering was bolted on to Google’s social network, Google Photos offers a neater, prettier, and altogether better stand-alone service — albeit with some minor concerns about privacy.