[solardev]

I pay for additional Google storage because it works, it's easy, it's integrated, and, it's never failed. If you move your mother-in-law to some homebrewed DIY system, it will prob fail within a few years or when she upgrades her phone, and she'll be pissed she lost some of her precious pictures and wished she just kept paying instead.

The cost of just paying iCloud or Gdrive is so minimal (like $3-$10/mo?) that it's well worth it for regular users just for the peace of mind. Nothing you come up with at home will be anywhere as easy to use, or as reliable over the years, or work so seamlessly across all their devices, or make simple edits possible and sharing with their friends easy.