diff --git a/pkg/importer/gphotos/download.go b/pkg/importer/gphotos/download.go
index 2418f61a5..b1b359557 100644
--- a/pkg/importer/gphotos/download.go
+++ b/pkg/importer/gphotos/download.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ package gphotos
 import (
 	"context"
 	"io"
+	"log"
 	"net/http"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
@@ -41,7 +42,12 @@ const (
 	defaultRateLimit = rate.Limit(10)
 )
 
-// getUser helper function to return the user's email address.
+// getUser returns the authenticated Google Drive user's User value,
+// containing their name, email address, and "permission ID",
+// which is the "The user's ID as visible in Permission resources" according
+// to https://developers.google.com/drive/v3/reference/about#resource
+// The permission ID becomes the "userID" (AcctAttrUserID) value on the
+// account's "importerAccount" permanode.
 func getUser(ctx context.Context, client *http.Client) (*drive.User, error) {
 	srv, err := drive.New(client)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -57,7 +63,7 @@ func getUser(ctx context.Context, client *http.Client) (*drive.User, error) {
 }
 
 type downloader struct {
-	// download rate limiter
+	// rate is the download rate limiter.
 	rate *rate.Limiter
 
 	*drive.Service
@@ -90,9 +96,6 @@ func newDownloader(client *http.Client) (*downloader, error) {
 // Returns a new token to watch future changes.
 func (dl *downloader) photos(ctx context.Context, sinceToken string) (photosCh <-chan maybePhotos, nextToken string, err error) {
 
-	// reset the rate limiter
-	dl.rate.SetLimit(defaultRateLimit)
-
 	var sr *drive.StartPageToken
 	if err := dl.rateLimit(ctx, func() error {
 		var err error
@@ -291,8 +294,7 @@ func (dl *downloader) fileAsPhoto(f *drive.File) photo {
 }
 
 // rateLimit calls f obeying the global Rate limit.
-// On "Rate Limit Exceeded" error, the rate is throttled back,
-// on success the limit is raised.
+// On "Rate Limit Exceeded" error, it sleeps and tries later.
 func (dl *downloader) rateLimit(ctx context.Context, f func() error) error {
 	const (
 		msgRateLimitExceeded          = "Rate Limit Exceeded"
@@ -300,42 +302,22 @@ func (dl *downloader) rateLimit(ctx context.Context, f func() error) error {
 		msgUserRateLimitExceededShort = "userRateLimitExceeded"
 	)
 
-	var err error
-	first := true
 	// Ensure a 1 minute try limit.
-	ctx, _ = context.WithTimeout(ctx, time.Minute)
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, time.Minute)
+	defer cancel()
 	for {
-		now := time.Now()
 		if err := dl.rate.Wait(ctx); err != nil {
+			log.Printf("gphotos: rate limit failure: %v", err)
 			return err
 		}
-		// The scheduler may interrupt here, but we don't know anything better, so risk it.
-		dur := time.Since(now)
-		if err = f(); err == nil {
-			if first {
-				// If we're limited by the rate, then raise the limit!
-				lim := dl.rate.Limit()
-				// We're rate limited iff we wait at least the rate limit time:
-				if dur >= time.Duration(float64(time.Second)/float64(lim)) {
-					// to reach 1 again after a halving, it is
-					//   * 7 steps with 1.1,
-					//   * 3 steps with 1.25,
-					//   * 2 steps with 1.5.
-					dl.rate.SetLimit(lim * 1.1)
-				}
-			}
+		err := f()
+		if err == nil {
 			return nil
 		}
-		first = false
 		ge, ok := err.(*googleapi.Error)
 		if !ok || ge.Code != 403 {
 			return err
 		}
-		if ge.Message != "" &&
-			ge.Message != msgRateLimitExceeded &&
-			ge.Message != msgUserRateLimitExceeded {
-			return err
-		}
 		if ge.Message == "" {
 			var ok bool
 			for _, e := range ge.Errors {
@@ -353,8 +335,9 @@ func (dl *downloader) rateLimit(ctx context.Context, f func() error) error {
 				return err
 			}
 		}
-
-		dl.rate.SetLimit(dl.rate.Limit() / 2) // halve the rate (exponential backoff)
+		// Some arbitrary sleep.
+		log.Printf("gphotos: sleeping for 5s after 403 error, presumably due to a rate limit")
+		time.Sleep(5 * time.Second)
+		log.Printf("gphotos: retrying after sleep...")
 	}
-	return err
 }
diff --git a/pkg/importer/gphotos/gphotos.go b/pkg/importer/gphotos/gphotos.go
index 8d2a3f263..c0387be32 100644
--- a/pkg/importer/gphotos/gphotos.go
+++ b/pkg/importer/gphotos/gphotos.go
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ type run struct {
 	incremental  bool // whether we've completed a run in the past
 	photoGate    *syncutil.Gate
 	setNextToken func(string) error
-	*downloader
+	dl           *downloader
 }
 
 var forceFullImport, _ = strconv.ParseBool(os.Getenv("CAMLI_GPHOTOS_FULL_IMPORT"))
@@ -312,7 +312,7 @@ func (imp) Run(rctx *importer.RunContext) error {
 		incremental:  !forceFullImport && acctNode.Attr(importer.AcctAttrCompletedVersion) == runCompleteVersion,
 		photoGate:    syncutil.NewGate(3),
 		setNextToken: func(nextToken string) error { return acctNode.SetAttr(acctSinceToken, nextToken) },
-		downloader:   dl,
+		dl:           dl,
 	}
 	if err := r.importPhotos(ctx, sinceToken); err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -326,12 +326,7 @@ func (imp) Run(rctx *importer.RunContext) error {
 }
 
 func (r *run) importPhotos(ctx context.Context, sinceToken string) error {
-	select {
-	case <-ctx.Done():
-		return ctx.Err()
-	default:
-	}
-	photosCh, nextToken, err := r.downloader.photos(ctx, sinceToken)
+	photosCh, nextToken, err := r.dl.photos(ctx, sinceToken)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("gphotos importer: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -440,7 +435,7 @@ func (r *run) updatePhoto(ctx context.Context, parent *importer.Object, ph photo
 
 	photoNode, err := parent.ChildPathObjectOrFunc(ph.ID, func() (*importer.Object, error) {
 		h := blob.NewHash()
-		rc, err := r.downloader.openPhoto(ctx, ph)
+		rc, err := r.dl.openPhoto(ctx, ph)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
@@ -476,7 +471,7 @@ func (r *run) updatePhoto(ctx context.Context, parent *importer.Object, ph photo
 		// been interrupted. So we check for an existing camliContent.
 		if camliContent := photoNode.Attr(nodeattr.CamliContent); camliContent == "" {
 			// looks like an incomplete node, so we need to re-download.
-			rc, err := r.downloader.openPhoto(ctx, ph)
+			rc, err := r.dl.openPhoto(ctx, ph)
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}