freakz2604

Q: iCloud Library self-destruction

Hi everyone,

 

I have some issues with my iCloud photo library. Right now I just uploaded my whole photo library (out of a TMm backup) for the fourth time to iCloud - I'm going mad with that issue.

 

Once the upload to iCloud is done everything works fine, the library works as expected and everything is in sync between my devices (iPhone, iPad, MacBook).

For a while the library works just perfects. New photos made with the iPhone sync to the iPad, new changed on the Mac are being synced to all other devices.

 

After a while, sometimes 5 days, sometimes two weeks my library goes in some self-destruction mode. Albums disappear, folders dissapear, albums are moved outside from some folders, photos are just there - completely unorganized ect.

 

I can't really reproduce the problem, I don't do something special, I'm the only one who has access to the account or to my devices.

The service works perfect for my flatmate, the only difference between us is that I use subfolders and he doesn't. Could that be the problem?

 

My folder structure looks like that:


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iCloud photo library, iOS 9.3.2

Posted on May 18, 2016 1:57 AM

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Q: iCloud Library self-destruction

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  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie May 18, 2016 4:30 AM in response to freakz2604
    Level 10 (105,599 points)
    iLife
    May 18, 2016 4:30 AM in response to freakz2604

    Which version of OS X are you using? Are you using the latest OS X 10.11.5 or an older system?

     

    Where is your Photos Library stored?  In the Pictures folder, or have you moved it to a different location?

  • by freakz2604,

    freakz2604 freakz2604 May 18, 2016 4:39 AM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (8 points)
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    May 18, 2016 4:39 AM in response to léonie

    Hi léonie,

     

    I'm using OSX 10.11.04, running on a MacBook Pro mid 2012

    the library is stored in the pictures folder

     

    thanks for your help!

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie May 18, 2016 4:45 AM in response to freakz2604
    Level 10 (105,599 points)
    iLife
    May 18, 2016 4:45 AM in response to freakz2604

    Make a backup and try to update to OS X 10.11.5.  That has important bug fixes for more stability.

     

    A Photos Library in the Pictures folder should work.  Are you using any cleaning applications that could corrupt your Photos Library?  Clean My Mac or similar?  If you are not deleting albums on your iPhone or iPad, something else must be modifying the library.

  • by freakz2604,

    freakz2604 freakz2604 May 18, 2016 8:59 AM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Apple Watch
    May 18, 2016 8:59 AM in response to léonie

    Indeed, I'm using "Clean my Mac" - I heard a few times that it isn't necessary to use it, but as I didn't had any problems (till now) I thought "why not!?".

     

    I'm going to deinstall clean my mac and then I'll try it again. If it doesn't work, I'll reply to this post.

     

    For now, thank you very much!

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie May 18, 2016 9:29 AM in response to freakz2604
    Level 10 (105,599 points)
    iLife
    May 18, 2016 9:29 AM in response to freakz2604

    When I tested CleanMyMac 2 and 3 on a sample Library it deleted all Master Files of edited photos and replaced them by the previews of the edited versions. So the photos lost some quality. And in quite a few cases the replacement was done incorrectly and I had plenty of exclamation points in the "cleaned" library. If you value your high resolution originals and do not want to risk to lose photos by incorrect links, don't let CleanMyMac touch your Photos Libraries.

     

    Uninstalling CleanMyMac will not bring the originals back that you already lost, only prevent further damage. You'll have to restore once again from your backup.

  • by freakz2604,

    freakz2604 freakz2604 May 22, 2016 12:25 AM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Apple Watch
    May 22, 2016 12:25 AM in response to léonie

    So, now I deleted Clean My Mac from my Computer and I uploaded my photo library again to iCloud.

     

    First there were again a few photos which were unorganised - maybe they were still somewhere on my old "broken" icloud lib?

    Even if my Mac and my iOS devices say that everything is in sync it isn't 100% in sync. On my compuer there are 10.576 files and on my iphone are 10.204 files - there are also some albums with just a few pictures. MayBe the system just need it time to get everything in order?

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie May 22, 2016 12:46 AM in response to freakz2604
    Level 10 (105,599 points)
    iLife
    May 22, 2016 12:46 AM in response to freakz2604

    Your library may contain items that cannot upload to iCloud.

    Have you checked with a smart album with the rule "Photos is unable to upload to iCloud Photo Library"?

     

    What does the status line at the bottom of the Photos View (Moments, collections) say?

    In my library I am seeing

    Screen Shot 2016-05-22 at 09.45.22GMT.png

     

    Are you seeing an additional  "xxx items local only"?

    That would mean, that you imported photos, videos, audio files that cannot upload to iCloud Photo Library.

  • by freakz2604,

    freakz2604 freakz2604 May 22, 2016 2:52 AM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Apple Watch
    May 22, 2016 2:52 AM in response to léonie

    I just created a smart folder with the rule "Photos is unable to upload to iCloud Photo Library".

    There were 0 photos so the upload shold be fine.


    I checked also my iCloud library (on icloud.com) and it seems that icloud.com and the photos version (on the mac) are in sync. Both of them show the same object count.

    Even the object count on my iPhone is the same like the icloud.com/mac version, but it seems that there are some photos without albums, becaus for example the "Miami" Album countains 150 photos on the mac and icloud version - the iOS versions (iphone ans ipad) countains just 20 pictures. (even if the photo library has the same amount of

    photos)


    Unfortunately I can't creat a smartfolder on the ipad to look for "pictures without albums".


    So long story short:

     

    Photos App (Mac): 10.007 Pictures (in Sync with iCloud.com)

    iCloud.com: 10.007 Pictures (in Sync with Photos App)

    iPhone: 10.007 Pictures (not in sync)

    iPad: 10.032 Pictures (not in sync)

     

    These are the exact number of items - the numbers above where just to demostrate that there is a difference between all devices (they didn't change)

     

    Of course on all devices there is the (Updated just now sign) at the bottom, and on iOS in settings ➛ icloud ➛ fotos





  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie May 22, 2016 3:38 AM in response to freakz2604
    Level 10 (105,599 points)
    iLife
    May 22, 2016 3:38 AM in response to freakz2604

    If your Mac and iCloud are in sync, the problem are probably your mobile devices.

    You could sign out of iCloud Photo Library on the mobile devices, then delete all photos from the mobile devices and start over.

     

    But I have no idea how to identify the additional photos on your iPad that are missing from the other devices. It might be burst photos that did not upload to iCloud Photo Library.

  • by freakz2604,

    freakz2604 freakz2604 May 22, 2016 4:50 AM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Apple Watch
    May 22, 2016 4:50 AM in response to léonie

    So, now I tried to delete all photos from my iPad and from my iPhone.

    FIrst everything seemed fine. So the Mac library was ok.

     

    Then I tried to reload the whole library on my iOS devices - result:

     

    - On my iPad there are again 10.032 photos - no Idea where the aditional photos come from

    - On my iPhone nothing changed

    - On my Mac ALL albums are gone, all photos are there but everyone without an album

     

    This is frustating me so hard :-(

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie May 22, 2016 5:04 AM in response to freakz2604
    Level 10 (105,599 points)
    iLife
    May 22, 2016 5:04 AM in response to freakz2604

    So, now I tried to delete all photos from my iPad and from my iPhone.

    FIrst everything seemed fine. So the Mac library was ok.

    You signed out of iCloud Photo Library before you did that, right?

     

    - On my Mac ALL albums are gone, all photos are there but everyone without an album

    Are the albums still in iCloud at www. iCloud.com? Then the albums will probably come back.

     

     

    Update the OS X 10.11.5, it has a few bug fixes.

  • by freakz2604,

    freakz2604 freakz2604 May 22, 2016 5:06 AM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Apple Watch
    May 22, 2016 5:06 AM in response to léonie

    No - same thing. I'm not worried about my photos. I have a (few) backups.

     

    I'm just frustrated because it isn't working and I don't know why.

     

    I really thank you for taking your time!

     

     

    EDIT: Yes I signed out from iCloud before and I alrrady updated my OSX to 10.11.5

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie May 22, 2016 5:13 AM in response to freakz2604
    Level 10 (105,599 points)
    iLife
    May 22, 2016 5:13 AM in response to freakz2604

    It really looks like a bug that needs fixing.We have seen occasionally reports of incompletely synced albums.

     

    You may want to file a bug report using the feedback form (Apple - Photos - Feedback) or a detailed report at the Bug Reporter:  Detailed and Effective Bug Reporting | Apple Support Communities

     

    Do you have an Apple Store close by, where you you could visit  the Genius Bar?

  • by freakz2604,

    freakz2604 freakz2604 May 24, 2016 7:16 AM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Apple Watch
    May 24, 2016 7:16 AM in response to léonie

    Unfortunately the next Apple Store is more than 100km away.

     

    Should I call the apple support? Maybe they could "reset" my iCloud library?

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