Thankfully, the folks over at Google are working on a fix after being alerted to this situation. I guess Android users who no longer want to make use of this app will have to live with the fact (until a fix is released, that is) that uninstalling the app will not prevent Google Photos from stashing and saving your handset’s media in the cloud.
A Google spokesperson mentioned to CNNMoney, “Some users have uninstalled the Photos app on Android without realizing backup as an Android service is still enabled.We are working to make the messaging clearer as well as provide users who uninstall the Photos app an easy way to also disable backup.” In order to totally disable automatic syncing, you will need to head to Google settings on your phone, pick Google Photos, and turn backup off.