From the fine print at the bottom of Google’s official Pixel Phone page:

Unlimited backups for photos and videos taken with your Pixel. Requires Google account. Data rates may apply.

There are a number of fronts in the battle between Google and Apple for the hearts and minds of smartphone users. One well-defined line in the sand is for media storage. Do you pay a monthly fee for an iCloud account to store your photos, as well as updates and backups?

Google has thrown down the gauntlet, offering free unlimited media storage for Pixel buyers. This move will be difficult for other Android phone manufacturers to match, since the photos go to Google’s servers, even if the phone is made by, say, Samsung.

Apple does control the entire path from camera to photo storage. The question is, will Apple address this challenge directly?