Whenever you connect your devices like Android Phone, iPhone, or iPad to a Windows 10 PC, the Photos app launches instantly. It does this to allow you to import all the media, but this is not the desired course of action one expects every time. Because, many times, users plug the phone for charging and not for synchronization. This condition can be fixed via a simple change in settings.
Stop Photos app from opening when connecting Phone to PC
To prevent the Photos app from opening itself automatically, when connecting an iPhone or Android phone to a Windows 10 PC, you have two ways:
- Disable AutoPlay in Settings
- Disable AutoPlay using the Group Policy Editor
When you plug in a removable device such as a USB or a memory card into your computer, you’ll find ‘AutoPlay’ popup appearing on your computer screen. Its main purpose is to detect the kind of media plugged in and automatically act on your behalf. But if you do not like it, try any one of the below-mentioned ways to get rid of it.
1] Disable AutoPlay option in Settings
Click on the ‘Start’ button and choose ‘Settings’.
Under ‘Windows Settings’ select ‘Devices’ and scroll down to ‘AutoPlay’ section in the left pane.
Next, configure ‘AutoPlay’ defaults. For this, choose Apple iPhone and hit the drop-down arrow adjacent to it.
Select any one of the following options,
- Take no action
- Ask me every time.
This should work.
2] Disable AutoPlay using Group Policy Editor
Press Win + R simultaneously to open the Run dialog box. Type ‘gpedit.msc’ in its search bar and hit ‘Enter’.
Next, go to ‘Computer Configuration’ > Administrative Templates > Windows Components”.
Under ‘Windows Components’ find and select ‘AutoPlay Policies’.
In the right-hand side details pane, select ‘Turn off AutoPlay’ and disable AutoPlay on all drives.
After completing the above steps, the Photos App will be stopped from opening itself automatically anytime you connect your phone.
Read: How to set AutoPlay defaults in Windows 10.
