The documentation for uploading media to Google Photos clearly describes that uploading media is a two-step process. First you “upload” the media bytes, then you use the upload token with “batchCreate” to get the media into Google Photos.
What happens if, for some reason, you upload media bytes but do not call “batchCreate”? Do they take up Google storage? Is there a way to view and delete these bytes?
Hi @moehajj ,
Welcome to the Google Cloud Community!
In the Google Photos Library API, uploaded media bytes are represented by a Base URL. After uploading the media bytes, they are cached and are active for 60 minutes to use with either the Google Photos Picker API or Library API, then expire afterwards. There is currently no way to view or interact with the uploaded media bytes, except by using the Base URL.
If you’re planning on using Base URLs with either APIs, do note that there are upcoming Google Photos API changes that take effect in March 2025.
If you’re interested about how Google Photos is structured, here’s an image of the high level architecture behind Google Photos:
If you want to know more about Google Photos or have a feature request, here are the support options for Google Photos API.
I hope this helped!
