Synology DSM 7.0 could be what you need if Google Photos is leaving you dry

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Synology DSM 7.0 could be what you need if Google Photos is leaving you short on space

Synology DSM 7.0 has a whole range of improvements. Image courtesy of Synology.

Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM) 7.0 launched on June 29 with some new bells and whistles and a fresh coat of paint. There is a new secure sign-in, improved security, new hybrid-Cloud services, better insight into your NAS, and for those using a Synology NAS, an answer to the deceased storage capacity of Google Photos. Which is what we'll be looking at today.

Needing space thanks to Google

The dated look of the previous DSM.

We’re all guilty to some extent of taking online storage for granted. There are many services online and if you’re like me, you probably use a few. The few I remember subscribing to are Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, and One Drive. But what happens if they change their terms and conditions or decide to close their services?

Take Google for example, they recently went from offering unlimited photo storage to only the 15GB that came with every Google account sign-up. If you have a family or are heavily into the Instagram lifestyle, this is barely enough.

This is where a home storage solution like a NAS can help you and how Synology DSM 7.0 makes photo storage and backup a lot easier.

Photo backup made easy

Better ways to manage your photos in DSM 7.0. Image courtesy of Synology.

DSM is how a user traditionally controlled their Synology NAS through the use of add-on packages for photos, files, and Cloud services (Mega, Dropbox etc) etc.

One common complaint was having too many packages that did similar things, but not having one that could do it all. For example, I had to use install both Photo Station and Moments to back up all my photos properly from my iPhone and Mac Mini as Moments was faster to use but Photo Station gave me more control.

The mobile app is also improved. Image courtesy of Synology.

With Google Photos stopping its unlimited photo backup service, Synology Photos now combines Photo Station and Moments so you can store photos chronologically or according to folder structure and share and organise them using multiple settings and permissions. The mobile version of the app has also been upgraded to make backing them up easier.

Some of the new features in the new Synology Photos include:

Facial recognition: Support edited facial recognition results migration from Moments. Save 48% faster compared to Moments
File extension exclusion
Hyper Backup support: Now can back up photos in Personal & Shared Space, Synology Photos album name, configuration, etc
More flexible photo backup: Support customized folder as a back-up destination
Better browsing experience: Display when thumbnails generated (no need to refresh), play slideshow on mobile

Synology DSM 7.0 is available now as a manual update with the auto-update expected to come by next month.