Facebook introduces tool to copy photos and videos to other services

Facebook has developed a utility that allows users to copy photos and videos to another service. For now, the new tool works exclusively with Google Photos and is only available to users in Ireland.

Facebook’s new Photo Transfer Tool will be available in Ireland from December 2, with the rest of the world to follow later. The function will be given a place in the Settings, more specifically under ‘Your Facebook data’, where users have also been able to download their data for years. According to Facebook, members can easily copy their saved photos and videos from this place to other online services. However, it may take until mid-2020 before all Facebook members can use the new feature.

In the first stage, the Photo Transfer Tool is only compatible with Google Photos. However, the intention is that more and more services will be added gradually. The code of the tool is based on the open source Data Transfer Project, in which companies such as Microsoft, Google, Apple and Twitter participate in addition to Facebook. Facebook hopes that more and more companies will join this project, so that the adaptation of the Photo Transfer Tool will accelerate.

Facebook emphasizes in a statement that privacy and security are a top priority with the new Photo Transfer Tool. The photos and videos are therefore encrypted. In addition, the user must enter his Facebook password before transferring the data to another service.