HT202786: iCloud Photo Sharing
Learn about iCloud Photo Sharing
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All replies
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Helpful answers
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Aug 19, 2015 8:04 AM in response to cheese_aholicby Brett L,Howdy cheese_aholic,
Pictures in shared albums are uploaded to iCloud for the purposes of sharing, so you could delete them from the device and they would still be available. See this help page - iCloud Photo Sharing overview
I would recommend, however, that you maintain at least one copy of your pictures locally, as shared albums are not backed up online. See this article - Get help using iCloud Photo Sharing and shared albums - Apple Support
In particular -
How do I back up a shared album?
Shared album content isn't automatically backed up. You need to save your photos and videos locally before backing up your device.
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Best to you.
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Aug 19, 2015 5:03 PM in response to Brett Lby cheese_aholic,Many thanks Brett...
I appreciate that shared albums aren't backed up, however they're stored in the cloud so 'should' stay there indefinitely yeah? Is there a limit to the amount of time a shared album will remain 'active'?
The problem I'm having is that my iphone is getting close to full (even with photos optimised) so was thinking of putting photos into shared albums so I could free up some space on my device...?
Thanks
Cheese...
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Aug 20, 2015 9:25 AM in response to cheese_aholicby Brett L,Hey Cheese,
I can certainly understand there being an issue with your iPhone's storage getting full. After all pictures do take up a lot of space. It is important to have all of your important data, including (presumably) these photos, in at least two places. One could be this shared album, but in order to be safe with the data, you should have at least one copy elsewhere. If you have a computer, import the photos into that computer and save it onto the hard drive, or burn the photos to CDs or DVDs. You can even put the albums on other photo sharing web sites.
This article explains how to import photos into your Photos application on your Mac - Import photos from a camera or mobile device - Photos Help
This article has info on how you might burn the picture files to a CD or DVD if you have a drive that supports burning - Burn CDs and DVDs - Mac Help
This article explains how to share to 3rd party photo sharing web sites from your Mac using Photos - Share items using other apps and websites - Photos Help
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Safe computing.
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Aug 20, 2015 12:07 PM in response to Brett Lby cheese_aholic,Thanks Brett,
I do have the photos backed up on a NAS, so not too worried.
Just want to clear some space on my phone, but still be able to look at my photos easily...
How about normal albums (rather than shared albums); are they stored only in the cloud or locally on my phone?
Cheese
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Aug 20, 2015 2:22 PM in response to cheese_aholicby Brett L,Hey Cheese,
I am so glad to hear that you have your important photos backed up safely. To answer your question about albums that are not shared and whether they are stored online and are easily available, I would like you to look at this article - iCloud: iCloud Photo Library overview
Basically if you use the iCloud Photo Library, all of your photos from the devices using it are stored online and available either to those devices or by using the iCloud.com web site. You can reduce the size of the photo files that are stored on your device.
To access the iCloud Photo Library from your iPhone use the information in this article - iCloud: Use iCloud Photo Library on your iOS device
For your Mac, use this article - Photos for OS X: Access your photos and videos everywhere with iCloud Photo Library
So using the iCloud Photo Library can, used properly, save some of the space on your iPhone. See this article - iCloud Photo Library FAQ.
Specifically -
Can I use iCloud Photo Library to save space on my device?
iCloud Photo Library automatically keeps all your photos and videos in the original, high-resolution version. Follow these steps to choose how you store your photos and videos on your device:
- In iOS, tap Settings > iCloud > Photos or Settings > Photos & Camera, then select a storage setting.
- In OS X, click Photos > Preferences > iCloud, then select a storage setting.
If you turn on Optimize [device] Storage, iCloud Photo Library will automatically manage the size of your library on your device, so you can make the most of your device's storage and access more photos than ever. All of your original, full-resolution photos and videos are stored in iCloud while device-size versions are kept on your device. You can download the original photos and videos over Wi-Fi or cellular when you need them.
If you turn on Download Originals, iCloud Photo Library will keep your original, full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud and on your device. Download Originals is the default setting for iOS devices with the free 5 GB storage plan and for all Mac devices.
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Happy computing.
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Aug 21, 2015 12:48 AM in response to Brett Lby cheese_aholic,Thanks Brett,
I understand (sort of!) how the iCloud Photo Library works, and that by selecting 'optimise storage' I can reduce the amount of space my photos take up on my device.
However, my question is - if I add photos to an album (from my device) and then delete the original photos from that device (and therefore from my iCloud Library), where is this album full of photos stored?
Is the album on my device or in the cloud?
Cheers
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Aug 23, 2015 6:24 AM in response to cheese_aholicby Brett L,Howdy Cheese,
If, as you say, you add photos from an album from your device to the iCloud Photo Library and then delete the photos from that device, the copy in the iCloud is deleted as well.
To answer your last question, yes, the album is on the device as well as in the cloud. Again see iCloud Photo Library FAQ for reference.
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Best to you.
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Sep 3, 2015 10:29 AM in response to Brett Lby cheese_aholic,Thanks Brett,
So if I understand you correctly...
If I create a shared album on my iPhone of say 100 photos, those 100 photos will be stored twice on my iPhone, thus reducing my free space even further...
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Sep 3, 2015 11:25 AM in response to cheese_aholicby Brett L,Good day Cheese,
Shared albums are stored in iCloud's servers - that is how they can be seen by those you are sharing them with. This help page may give you more ideas about how to use shared albums from your iPhone - iCloud Photo Sharing overview - iCloud Help
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Safe computing.
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Sep 3, 2015 12:12 PM in response to Brett Lby cheese_aholic,Thanks Brett,
The links you provide are very useful, however none of them actually answer my original question.
You say "shared albums are stored in iCloud's servers" but you also say "the album is on the device as well as in the cloud"
So the album (with say 100 photos) is stored on my phone as well as the original photos that comprise that album.
ALL stored on my phone (and on icloud servers of course)
What I'm getting at here (and maybe I'm not explaining it that well) is that if I create a shared album, I'm effectively reducing space on my phone, as that album (with all it's photos) is stored on my phone, as well as the original photos?
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Sep 3, 2015 1:48 PM in response to cheese_aholicby Brett L,Hi Cheese,
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. Due to the nature of the issue you described you may find more information by using another one of Apple's support resources - https://getsupport.apple.com/GetproductgroupList.action. -
Sep 4, 2015 12:52 AM in response to Brett Lby cheese_aholic,Thanks Brett,
To be honest I was hoping to avoid an expensive call to Apple; I had assumed this would be a simple question that someone on these support forums would be able to help me with.
Not to worry.
If there is anyone else out there who knows the answer to this it would be much appreciated...
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Sep 24, 2015 7:58 AM in response to cheese_aholicby cheese_aholic,Anyone able to help me on this...??
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Nov 27, 2015 11:06 AM in response to cheese_aholicby snewsie,Cheese a holic......a search brought me to this post of yours. I am new to the mac and need to know how to import my photos to the NAS. How did you do it? I honestly don't want to mess with the iCloud or PHOTOS on my MAC, I just want to go straight from the device to the NAS. HELP
