by Daniel Ionescu, PCWorld  

Editor’s Note: The following article is reprinted from the Today @ PC World blog at PCWorld.com.

The latest version of the Google+ app () for iPhone brings instant photo uploads, a cool feature previously available only to Android users. Once enabled, Instant Upload will automatically send your photos and videos to a private Google+ album. From there, you can pick which ones you'll share with the world. The updated Google+ iOS app is available now in the App Store.

After you install the update and log in, the app will ask you whether you want to enable Instant Upload; you can set it to operate either via Wi-Fi only or via 3G when available. After that, any photos and videos taken with the iOS camera app or with third-party apps like Instagram () will be uploaded to a private folder on your Google+ profile.

Photos are automatically uploaded as long as the Google+ app is open in the background; otherwise, a new batch will upload in the background the next time you open the app. To share any of the photos uploaded from your phone, you go to the Photos From Your Phone tab under Photos in Google+ on the Web and share with your circles. There's a 1GB limit for photos and videos from Instant Upload.

Instant Upload on Google+ has an advantage over traditional photo-sharing, because you don't have to wait for a photo to upload; you just have to make it public. But if you are thinking of using the feature as a way to back up your images, you will find that Apple's Photo Stream, built into iOS 5, is more practical (despite its 1,000-photo limit), because you don't have to make sure an app is running in the background all the time.