New Google Photos ad plays right into 16GB iPhone users’ storage struggle

If you’ve ever attended or watched any Google or Apple conference, you’ll come to notice that the two companies tend to take playful jabs at one another, mostly in good fun. This week, Google’s on the offense, with a new Google Photos ad that takes a dig at 16GB iPhones which appear to be perpetually out of space.

The struggle is real for 16GB iPhone users: Do you save the internal memory for pictures or leave room to download your favorite apps? Which photos are non-essential enough to transfer out of your device? Do you skip an app update because there’s simply no room for it?

If you’re the kind to “free up space” on your phone by shipping pictures out to live on a faraway camp, then Google Photos wants to sweep you right up. The service’s feature is dedicated to doing just this: clearing space on your phone by automatically transferring images to the cloud and off your device.

Unlike Apple’s iCloud service, which starts at $0.99 a month for 50GB, Google Photos has unlimited storage for free (for images up to 16 megapixels and 1080p videos.) It’s been Google’s competitive strategy since its launch last year, but now even more apparent as we head into September, where Apple is expected to announce a new iPhone and get rid of the 16GB model altogether.