Tom Ritch
Level 2 (206 points)
Photos for Mac

Q: will Photos on Sierra be compatible with Photos on El Capitan?

My main computer, a Mac Pro 3,1, will not run Sierra.  That is where I have my main Photos library, and do most of my work on Photos.  I also have a Mac Book Pro and Mac Mini which are new enough to run Sierra. 

 

I understand that Photos included with Sierra will have major changes.  I would like to benefit from improvements in Photos, and would install Sierra on one of my compatible systems to get the new features.  Unfortunately, I think I should not do this, because Photos is not a free-standing application, but instead is a macos Sierra subsystem.

 

If I update my MBP or Mac Mini to Sierra, will they modify my Photos system library to a version which my Mac Pro, which is limited to El Capitan, cannot run? 

Mac Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6), MacPro 3,1 Accelsior PCIe SSD

Posted on Sep 10, 2016 10:45 PM

by léonie,Solvedanswer
léonie léonie
Level 10 (106,958 points)
iCloud
A:

I understand that Photos included with Sierra will have major changes.  I would like to benefit from improvements in Photos, and would install Sierra on one of my compatible systems to get the new features.  Unfortunately, I think I should not do this, because Photos is not a free-standing application, but instead is a macos Sierra subsystem.

Photos is installed as part of the system software. When you open a Photos Library on a Mac with a newer version of the operating system, the library will be upgraded to the new Photos version, and you cannot open the library on a Mac with an older version of OS X any longer.

 

You would have to keep two separate Photos Libraries, one for the Mac with the older system and one for the Mac with the newer system.

But you can use iCloud Photo Library to sync the separate libraries on your devices, if you are willing to sign up for enough iCloud Storage to store all photos in iCloud.  I tried this one Mac on Yosemite and other Macs on El Capitan, and the syncing with iCloud Photo Library worked well.

 

If you look at Apple's Sierra preview (macOS Preview - Apple) you'll notice that most of the promised new features are about a better face recognition and artificial intelligence to use the persons, locations, and recognized objects for searching and creating memories. There is no indication that these results will sync to iCloud, so it should not matter that the older Macs will not be able to support them, if you are using iCloud Photo Library to sync the Macs.

Posted on Sep 11, 2016 1:48 AM

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Tom Ritch

Q: will Photos on Sierra be compatible with Photos on El Capitan?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Sep 10, 2016 11:15 PM in response to Tom Ritch
    Level 10 (271,091 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 10, 2016 11:15 PM in response to Tom Ritch

    They are compatible.

     

    Discussing Beta Software in the Apple Support Communities

     

    You agreed to a non-disclosure agreement when signing up for the beta program:

     

    CUSTOMER SEED AND CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT

    Please read the email you received: Apple Beta Software Program

     

    The NDA prohibits you from discussing software beta issues here or anywhere else. The two documents above describe how to submit problem reports  to Apple.

  • by léonie,Solvedanswer

    léonie léonie Sep 11, 2016 1:48 AM in response to Tom Ritch
    Level 10 (106,958 points)
    iCloud
    Sep 11, 2016 1:48 AM in response to Tom Ritch

    I understand that Photos included with Sierra will have major changes.  I would like to benefit from improvements in Photos, and would install Sierra on one of my compatible systems to get the new features.  Unfortunately, I think I should not do this, because Photos is not a free-standing application, but instead is a macos Sierra subsystem.

    Photos is installed as part of the system software. When you open a Photos Library on a Mac with a newer version of the operating system, the library will be upgraded to the new Photos version, and you cannot open the library on a Mac with an older version of OS X any longer.

     

    You would have to keep two separate Photos Libraries, one for the Mac with the older system and one for the Mac with the newer system.

    But you can use iCloud Photo Library to sync the separate libraries on your devices, if you are willing to sign up for enough iCloud Storage to store all photos in iCloud.  I tried this one Mac on Yosemite and other Macs on El Capitan, and the syncing with iCloud Photo Library worked well.

     

    If you look at Apple's Sierra preview (macOS Preview - Apple) you'll notice that most of the promised new features are about a better face recognition and artificial intelligence to use the persons, locations, and recognized objects for searching and creating memories. There is no indication that these results will sync to iCloud, so it should not matter that the older Macs will not be able to support them, if you are using iCloud Photo Library to sync the Macs.

  • by Tom Ritch,

    Tom Ritch Tom Ritch Sep 11, 2016 4:41 AM in response to Kappy
    Level 2 (206 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Sep 11, 2016 4:41 AM in response to Kappy

    Thanks for the reminder, Kappy.  I am aware of the NDA, and did not intend to discuss beta software issues.  Your reminder is good for those who might be tempted to do so. 

     

    I do not have macos Sierra beta due to my concern for lack of backwards compatibility, as stated.  Not being involved in testing, I have not been reading much about Sierra.  I remembered that Photos in El Capitan was not backwards compatible with Photos in Yosemite.  I was hoping that someone had more detailed knowledge of the compatibility, or lack of compatibility, between the two versions of Photos based on information Apple has released publicly.  Léonie kindly provided the information I was seeking without discussing beta software. 

  • by Tom Ritch,

    Tom Ritch Tom Ritch Sep 11, 2016 5:40 AM in response to léonie
    Level 2 (206 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Sep 11, 2016 5:40 AM in response to léonie

    Thanks, léonie.  That makes a lot of sense, and helps explain the limitations of iCloud synching, as well as differences between different versions of Photos. 

     

    If I understand correctly, Photos libraries which run under Yosemite and El Capitan (and presumably in the future Sierra) are not directly compatible due to features such as Faces which differ for each OS version.  However, the underlying Photos database does not differ, and thus can be synched through iCloud even with different OS versions running on local client computers. 

     

    Synching only the part of the database containing the photos allows iCloud to synch the library across various versions of OS X Photos, iOS Photos and maybe Windows Photos or linux Photos (if such things exist).  This also allows development of non-synching parts of Photos, such as face recognition, to incorporate features of newer software and hardware, without the constraint of needing compatibility with earlier versions of the same OS, as well as other OSs. 

     

    So for me, the overall answer is I can go ahead and update some of my computers to Sierra, and convert my existing Photos library on those computers, while keeping my primary local library on my Mac running El Capitan.  The libraries will still synch through iCloud.  New features in Photos/Sierra will of course not be available in Photos/El Capitan (or Photos/Yosemite).  I could use these new features on what I think of as peripheral machines, but the work would not transfer back to my primary computer. 

     

    Looks like for now I will continue with my existing setup.  And continue watching for a new Mac Pro model ... 

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Sep 11, 2016 11:13 AM in response to Tom Ritch
    Level 10 (106,958 points)
    iCloud
    Sep 11, 2016 11:13 AM in response to Tom Ritch

    You're welcome, Tom

    The libraries will still synch through iCloud.  New features in Photos/Sierra will of course not be available in Photos/El Capitan (or Photos/Yosemite)

    Yes, but syncing through iCloud Photo Library will require an iCloud  storage plan supporting a large iCloud Photo Library.