It looks like Google Photos will continue uploading your photos even after you uninstall the app itself on Android phones.

David Arnott, Nashville Business Journalist editor, who discovered this anomaly, had previously tried the app and then uninstalled it months ago.

Just recently though, he decided he wanted to give the app another go. But after he reinstalled the app and signed in, he was surprised to see photos that had been uploaded after he deleted Google Photos from his phone.

It's all in the settings

It turns out that Google Photos' uploader settings is actually not part of the app's own settings, but in fact connected to the Google Settings app on Android phones, which is in charge of things like Google's locations, backup and search settings.

The uploading anomaly is likely due to the fact that Google Photos used to be part of Google+, and its settings are also mostly connected to the Google Settings app. It's an interesting web of settings.

So, if you used to use Google Photos or Google's automatic photo backup option, and no longer want your photos uploaded to the cloud, you can simply jump into the Google Settings app and turn off the "Google Photo Backup" option.

While you're there, you may as well check out the other options you can turn on and off as well.
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