Google Photos API Deletion

[phyxiis]

Is there any discussion about getting access (whether Google Admin webpage or GAM API) to Google Photos which are stored in a Workspace account?

We have 13 users with over 100GB of Google Photos storage used (3 users with 300+ GB used), and no access to delete it like we do with Drive (using GAM commands)

We want to eventually have users delete/transfer their Photos out of our EDU Workspace and then disable the Photos service. But we can't cut off the service because then the user doesn't have access to Photos to remove them, and we have no access to delete them.

Thanks,

Alex

[icrew · Accepted solution]

Unfortunately, Photos is a non-core app, so there really isn't an option to do what you want at this point. And that's painful.

Two thoughts:

1) Make sure you're talking to your Google CSM about this--I know that we've talked with ours, and they're very aware of the issue.

2) At this point, I think your only option is to give those users a deadline: "Download your photos by date X or lose them", but that still doesn't allow you to get the space back. The only way to do that would be to delete the account for those users (or, I suppose, reset the password for those users, log in as them, and do the deletion). As I understand it, even disabling the service doesn't recover the space used.

Sorry to be the bearer of less-than-wonderful news.

Ian Crew

UC Berkeley

[phyxiis]

Yes that was my understanding as well, and is a dang shame, especially with the storage limitations coming soon. Going through 674 users who have more than 1gb in photos is going to be a terrible experience

[icrew]

If it makes you feel any better, we've got just shy of 10,000 users with >1GB in Photos, 4600 >10GB, 616 > 100GB, and the biggest has just over 10TB. 

It occurs to me that another solution will be once quotas are available to set those users to whatever their new quota will be, and they won't be able to do much else until they draw down their photos storage.

Fun, fun, fun....

Ian