diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/components/Upload/Uploader.tsx b/web/apps/photos/src/components/Upload/Uploader.tsx
index 84fd9b5c9..731b9b5f4 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/components/Upload/Uploader.tsx
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/components/Upload/Uploader.tsx
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { ensureElectron } from "@/next/electron";
 import log from "@/next/log";
 import type { CollectionMapping, Electron } from "@/next/types/ipc";
 import { CustomError } from "@ente/shared/error";
@@ -176,12 +177,20 @@ export default function Uploader(props: Props) {
         }
 
         if (isElectron()) {
-            ImportService.getPendingUploads().then(
-                ({ files: electronFiles, collectionName, type }) => {
-                    log.info(`found pending desktop upload, resuming uploads`);
-                    resumeDesktopUpload(type, electronFiles, collectionName);
-                },
-            );
+            ensureElectron()
+                .pendingUploads()
+                .then((pending) => {
+                    if (pending) {
+                        log.info("Resuming pending desktop upload", pending);
+                        resumeDesktopUpload(
+                            pending.type == "files"
+                                ? PICKED_UPLOAD_TYPE.FILES
+                                : PICKED_UPLOAD_TYPE.ZIPS,
+                            pending.files,
+                            pending.collectionName,
+                        );
+                    }
+                });
             watcher.init(
                 setElectronFiles,
                 setCollectionName,
@@ -505,6 +514,7 @@ export default function Uploader(props: Props) {
                 !watcher.isUploadRunning()
             ) {
                 await ImportService.setToUploadCollection(collections);
+                // TODO (MR): What happens when we have both?
                 if (zipPaths.current) {
                     await electron.setToUploadFiles(
                         PICKED_UPLOAD_TYPE.ZIPS,
diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/services/importService.ts b/web/apps/photos/src/services/importService.ts
index 6d2c46a85..de5e4cfa6 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/services/importService.ts
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/services/importService.ts
@@ -1,31 +1,8 @@
 import { ensureElectron } from "@/next/electron";
-import log from "@/next/log";
-import { PICKED_UPLOAD_TYPE } from "constants/upload";
 import { Collection } from "types/collection";
 import { ElectronFile, FileWithCollection } from "types/upload";
 
-interface PendingUploads {
-    files: ElectronFile[];
-    collectionName: string;
-    type: PICKED_UPLOAD_TYPE;
-}
-
 class ImportService {
-    async getPendingUploads(): Promise<PendingUploads> {
-        try {
-            const pendingUploads =
-                (await ensureElectron().getPendingUploads()) as PendingUploads;
-            return pendingUploads;
-        } catch (e) {
-            if (e?.message?.includes("ENOENT: no such file or directory")) {
-                // ignore
-            } else {
-                log.error("failed to getPendingUploads ", e);
-            }
-            return { files: [], collectionName: null, type: null };
-        }
-    }
-
     async setToUploadCollection(collections: Collection[]) {
         let collectionName: string = null;
         /* collection being one suggest one of two things
@@ -40,7 +17,7 @@ class ImportService {
         if (collections.length === 1) {
             collectionName = collections[0].name;
         }
-        await ensureElectron().setToUploadCollection(collectionName);
+        await ensureElectron().setPendingUploadCollection(collectionName);
     }
 
     async updatePendingUploads(files: FileWithCollection[]) {
@@ -57,17 +34,14 @@ class ImportService {
                 filePaths.push((fileWithCollection.file as ElectronFile).path);
             }
         }
-        await ensureElectron().setToUploadFiles(
-            PICKED_UPLOAD_TYPE.FILES,
-            filePaths,
-        );
+        await ensureElectron().setPendingUploadFiles("files", filePaths);
     }
 
     async cancelRemainingUploads() {
         const electron = ensureElectron();
-        await electron.setToUploadCollection(null);
-        await electron.setToUploadFiles(PICKED_UPLOAD_TYPE.ZIPS, []);
-        await electron.setToUploadFiles(PICKED_UPLOAD_TYPE.FILES, []);
+        await electron.setPendingUploadCollection(undefined);
+        await electron.setPendingUploadFiles("zips", []);
+        await electron.setPendingUploadFiles("files", []);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/web/packages/next/types/ipc.ts b/web/packages/next/types/ipc.ts
index 85dcc870e..ccdf4b6d5 100644
--- a/web/packages/next/types/ipc.ts
+++ b/web/packages/next/types/ipc.ts
@@ -10,17 +10,6 @@ export interface AppUpdateInfo {
     version: string;
 }
 
-export enum FILE_PATH_TYPE {
-    FILES = "files",
-    ZIPS = "zips",
-}
-
-export enum PICKED_UPLOAD_TYPE {
-    FILES = "files",
-    FOLDERS = "folders",
-    ZIPS = "zips",
-}
-
 /**
  * Extra APIs provided by our Node.js layer when our code is running inside our
  * desktop (Electron) app.
@@ -355,21 +344,37 @@ export interface Electron {
 
     // - Upload
 
-    getPendingUploads: () => Promise<{
-        files: ElectronFile[];
-        collectionName: string;
-        type: string;
-    }>;
-    setToUploadFiles: (
-        /** TODO(MR): This is the actual type */
-        // type: FILE_PATH_TYPE,
-        type: PICKED_UPLOAD_TYPE,
+    /**
+     * Return any pending uploads that were previously enqueued but haven't yet
+     * been completed.
+     *
+     * The state of pending uploads is persisted in the Node.js layer.
+     *
+     * Note that we might have both outstanding zip and regular file uploads at
+     * the same time. In such cases, the zip file ones get precedence.
+     */
+    pendingUploads: () => Promise<PendingUploads | undefined>;
+
+    /**
+     * Set or clear the name of the collection where the pending upload is
+     * directed to.
+     */
+    setPendingUploadCollection: (collectionName: string) => Promise<void>;
+
+    /**
+     * Update the list of files (of {@link type}) associated with the pending
+     * upload.
+     */
+    setPendingUploadFiles: (
+        type: PendingUploads["type"],
         filePaths: string[],
     ) => Promise<void>;
+
+    // -
+
     getElectronFilesFromGoogleZip: (
         filePath: string,
     ) => Promise<ElectronFile[]>;
-    setToUploadCollection: (collectionName: string) => Promise<void>;
     getDirFiles: (dirPath: string) => Promise<ElectronFile[]>;
 }
 
@@ -414,3 +419,16 @@ export interface FolderWatchSyncedFile {
     uploadedFileID: number;
     collectionID: number;
 }
+
+/**
+ * When the user starts an upload, we remember the files they'd selected or drag
+ * and dropped so that we can resume (if needed) when the app restarts after
+ * being stopped in the middle of the uploads.
+ */
+export interface PendingUploads {
+    /** The collection to which we're uploading */
+    collectionName: string;
+    /* The upload can be either of a Google Takeout zip, or regular files */
+    type: "files" | "zips";
+    files: ElectronFile[];
+}