Hidden pics

D13 How many % of your pics are hidden?

You may have heard that Google makes some photos and reviews private if they overstep one or more of the rules and guidelines. Unfortunately, Google does not inform us when a photo is marked private even though this could be a fantastic learning instrument. Through the tortuous method described below, you can figure out how many of your photos and videos are marked private.

When you are logged in on Google Maps you will see all the photos and videos you have uploaded. To see how many of them are public you need to look at your public contributions without being logged in. This can be done using an incognito/private window or tab in your browser.

Step A: Find your PRIVATE PHOTO COUNT

To find your PRIVATE PHOTO COUNT on an Android device follow these steps:

Open the Google Maps app
Tap the bottom tab called Contribute.
Tap anywhere near See your photos.
Copy or write down the number of photos at the top of the page. See blue box below.
This is your PRIVATE PHOTO COUNT.

To find your PRIVATE PHOTO COUNT on a Desktop follow these steps:

Open Google maps in your browser.
Open the menu in the top-left corner. You may need to click twice.
Click on Your contributions
Click the PHOTOS tab
Copy or write down the number of photos at the top of the tab. See blue box below.
This is your PRIVATE PHOTO COUNT.

To find your PRIVATE PHOTO COUNT on an Apple device follow these steps:

Open the Google Maps app
Tap Your Contributions on the dropdown menu in the top-left corner.
Tap the tab called PHOTOS.
Copy or write down the number of photos at the top of the tab. See blue box below.
This is your PRIVATE PHOTO COUNT.

Step B: Find your PUBLIC PHOTO COUNT

To find your PUBLIC PHOTO COUNT on an Android device follow these steps:

In your browser go to LocalGuidesConnect.com.
Tap your Profile Circle in the top left corner.
Then tap your your name in blue at the top.
Then TAP AND HOLD the blue link View Google Maps profile until a submenu pops up.
Now tap Open in INCOGNITO tab.
Tap PHOTOS
Write down the number after the small camera icon

This number is your PUBLIC PHOTO COUNT.

To find your PUBLIC PHOTO COUNT on a Desktop follow these steps:

In your browser go to LocalGuidesConnect.com.
Click your Profile Circle in the top left corner.
Then click on your your name in blue at the top.
Then Right-click the blue link View Google Maps profile and a the submenu pops up.
Now click Open link in INCOGNITO/PRIVATE window.
Tap PHOTOS
Write down the number after the small camera icon

This number is your PUBLIC PHOTO COUNT.

To find your PUBLIC PHOTO COUNT on an Apple device follow these steps:

In your browser go to LocalGuidesConnect.com.
Tap your Profile Circle in the top left corner.
Then tap your your name in blue at the top.
Then TAP AND HOLD the blue link View Google Maps profile until a submenu pops up.
Now tap Open in New INCOGNITO Tab.
Tap PHOTOS
Write down the number after the small camera icon

This number is your PUBLIC PHOTO COUNT.

If your private count is higher than your public count the difference are your hidden pics.

Step C: Calculations

Calculate number of hidden pics using this formula:

PRIVATE PHOTO COUNT minus PUBLIC PHOTO COUNT = NUMBER of HIDDEN pics

BLUE minus GREEN = NUMBER of HIDDEN pics

In this example:

11.067 minus 10.819 = 248 HIDDEN pics

Now calculate your % of hidden pics using this formula:

NUMBER of HIDDEN pics multiplied by 100% and divided by PRIVATE PHOTO COUNT = your PERCENTAGE of HIDDEN pics

NUMBER of HIDDEN pics times 100% divided by BLUE = your % HIDDEN pics

In this example:

246 multiplied by 100% divided by 11.067 = 2.2 % HIDDEN pics

Use your percent hidden photos and views per pic to track your progress over time. You can also share your numbers with other local guides on Connect or in Facebook groups for Local Guides to get feedback from your peers.

Having less than 3% of hidden photos is probably not a big problem. If Google would introduce tools to find our hidden pics we could and should remove them. But for the moment this is not the case. You can try comparing your private list of photos using two different devices to remove the private pics that are not showing up on your public list of photos. But if your have uploaded thousands of photos this is an impossible task. Just scrolling manually down to your very first photo can take hours and there is no guarantee that your computer or mobile will not crash during this process. Or you can regularly review your recent photo contributions and remove pics under "Unknow place" and duplicates on your list contribution list of recent pics. This will reduce your number of hidden pics.

Having a low percentage of hidden pics indicates that you are uploading high-quality photos to Google Maps. As businesses close for good your photos of that place will be hidden also. So it's not possible to avoid having a few hidden pics. And hidden pics are not all bad pics.

On the next page, you can learn to calculate your average number of views per pic. Just hit "Next suggested page" below. Stay tuned!

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