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Corbin Supak

Q: do photos not count against 5gb in icloud drive?

Can't decipher this: A note at the bottom of the iCloud Drive FAQ says apps, purchases, etc. and photostream do not count against the 5gb icloud drive limit. But it seems like it does count against the current iCloud backup system we have (in fact, it's all photos). I don't get the discrepancy. What am I missing?

Posted on Nov 4, 2014 5:44 AM

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Q: do photos not count against 5gb in icloud drive?

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  • by Jay-Ray,Helpful

    Jay-Ray Jay-Ray Nov 4, 2014 5:51 AM in response to Corbin Supak
    Level 4 (2,692 points)
    iPhone
    Nov 4, 2014 5:51 AM in response to Corbin Supak

    Photo Stream (which includes My Photo Stream and Shared Photo Streams) do not count against your storage.  If you choose to continue to backup 'Photos & Camera'  in the backup section, then your photos are being backed up there and take up iCloud storage accordingly.

     

    If you turn on 'iCloud Photo Library (beta)' your photos are all uploaded to iCloud including Photo Stream.  This beta service does use space in your iCloud storage, but 'Photos & Camera' are not longer backed up as they are synced to the cloud all the time.

     

    In the end, if you are using iCloud as a backup or storage place for all of your Photos, then it will take up your iCloud storage space.

  • by Corbin Supak,

    Corbin Supak Corbin Supak Nov 4, 2014 7:00 AM in response to Jay-Ray
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 4, 2014 7:00 AM in response to Jay-Ray

    Thanks - following up,

    If I turn off "Photos & Camera" in my backup, and don't activate "iCloud Photo Library beta" either, do I still get the automatic backups of full-res images to my PC? But this won't include video, correct?

  • by Jay-Ray,

    Jay-Ray Jay-Ray Nov 4, 2014 7:03 AM in response to Corbin Supak
    Level 4 (2,692 points)
    iPhone
    Nov 4, 2014 7:03 AM in response to Corbin Supak

    You can backup Photos and Videos (or import a copy) to your PC at anytime regardless of the iCloud settings.  Creating a backup in iTunes also backs up your Camera Roll including videos.

     

    Corbin Supak wrote:

     

    If I turn off "Photos & Camera" in my backup, and don't activate "iCloud Photo Library beta" either, do I still get the automatic backups of full-res images to my PC?

    So the answer is Yes.

  • by Corbin Supak,

    Corbin Supak Corbin Supak Nov 4, 2014 8:30 AM in response to Jay-Ray
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 4, 2014 8:30 AM in response to Jay-Ray

    I mean via photostream (wifi), not wired backups.

  • by Jay-Ray,

    Jay-Ray Jay-Ray Nov 4, 2014 9:52 AM in response to Corbin Supak
    Level 4 (2,692 points)
    iPhone
    Nov 4, 2014 9:52 AM in response to Corbin Supak

    Yeah if you turn off the Photos & Camera in the backup section, and leave the iCloud Photo Library (Beta) off, you can still use My Photo Stream where it uploads new Photos to iCloud for 30 days.  Remember that if your computer will need to access the iCloud photo stream at least once every 30 days to not miss any of your photos, and yes they will be full res.

     

    My Photo Stream FAQ - Apple Support

     

    Does using My Photo Stream substitute for using iCloud Backup or iTunes to back up my photos?

    No. Photos in My Photo Stream are saved on the iCloud server for 30 days. To save or back up these photos, you must save them from My Photo Stream to your iOS device. Select the photos and choose Share > Save Image. You can then back up your photos using iCloud or iTunes.