Years after leaving Google Photos, the thing I miss most isn't what I expected

Published Sep 9, 2026, 7:00 PM EDT Beginning his professional journey in the tech industry in 2018, Yash spent over three years as a Software Engineer. After that, he shifted his focus to empowering readers through informative and engaging content on his tech blog – DiGiTAL BiRYANi. He has also published tech articles for MakeTechEasier. He loves to explore new tech gadgets and platforms. When he is not writing, you’ll find him exploring food. He is known as Digital Chef Yash among his readers because of his love for Technology and Food. For years, Google Photos was the place where I kept my entire photo collection. It was one of those apps I rarely thought about because it simply worked in the background. Eventually, though, I decided I wanted a different approach and started looking for a way to manage my photos on my own terms. That led me to Immich. The switch was easier than I expected, and after using it for years, I’ve found that I don't really miss most of what I left behind. But there is one Google Photos feature I didn't realize I would notice until it was gone. Immich replaced almost everything I cared about The transition was easier than expected Once I moved my library to Immich, I realized I wasn't giving up as much as I had expected. The basic experience of managing my photos felt familiar enough that I didn't spend weeks trying to adjust to a completely different workflow. The biggest win for me was the automatic backup from my phone. I could take photos throughout the day and let Immich handle getting them onto my own server. I didn't have to remember to manually copy everything over, which was important because a backup system is only useful when you actually use it consistently. I also liked having a proper timeline for browsing my library. Photos were arranged in a way that made it easy to move through different periods without dealing with a messy collection of folders and files. Albums were another part of my old workflow that I didn't have to abandon. I could still group photos for specific trips, events, or other occasions and access them from my devices. I expected to miss Google Photos' search, but I don't I found what I needed anyway Search was one of the features I thought would make leaving Google Photos difficult. Google had years of data about my library, and I was used to typing a few words and getting surprisingly relevant results. I assumed I would notice the difference every time I needed to find an older picture. That hasn't really happened. Immich's search is good enough for the way I actually use my library. If I'm trying to find photos from a particular trip, a certain person, or even something specific that appears in a picture, I can usually get there without much trouble. I don't always remember the exact date or album, so being able to search naturally is useful. There are still situations where Google's search feels more polished, especially when I'm looking for something unusually specific. But those cases don't come up often enough for me to care. Most of the time, I can find what I'm looking for without much effort. That was a pleasant surprise. I expected search to be one of the biggest compromises of moving to Immich, but in everyday use, it simply hasn't been. The thing I actually miss is much harder to replace Nothing quite replaces those unexpected memories The feature I didn't expect to miss was Google Photos' Memories. I didn't think much about them while I was using the service because they were always there in the background. Every now and then, Google Photos would show me pictures from years ago, and I'd end up scrolling through them for a few minutes. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed that until those reminders disappeared. The interesting thing is that these weren't necessarily my best photos. Sometimes they were completely ordinary pictures I had forgotten about. A random lunch, an old weekend outing, a picture of something I bought, or a moment with people I hadn't thought about in years could suddenly become interesting simply because I hadn't seen it for so long. With Immich, I still have those photos. I can browse through them whenever I want, but I have to make the effort myself. There isn't the same feeling of being surprised by something from my own photo history. That's the part I genuinely miss. I don't miss another storage feature or a clever editing tool. I miss being reminded of moments I'd completely forgotten. I still wouldn't switch back to Google Photos The trade-off is worth it Even with that one thing I miss, I have no plans to move my library back to Google Photos. Leaving it made me realize that I value having more control over where my photos live and how I manage them. With Immich, I know exactly where my library is stored. I'm not depending on a third-party service to decide how my photos are handled, and I can manage the underlying storage myself. That gives me a level of control I didn't have before. There is also something satisfying about knowing that my photo library isn't tied to a particular cloud service. I can change the hardware, adjust my setup, or move things around without having to rethink my entire workflow. I traded convenience for control Moving away from Google Photos taught me that not every convenience needs to be replaced. Some features are nice to have, but they aren't worth giving up control over something as personal as my photo library. Immich has changed how I manage my photos, and while I occasionally miss the little surprises from my old setup, I don't regret making the switch.