Mac Os Catalina do not sync photos with iOS Devices

I deleted the file "iPod photo cache" from my MacBook (https://www.ithmbconverter.com/en/faq/what-is-ipod-photo-cache-folder-on-your-pc-or-mac/) and than synced with my iPad pro. The sync via cable worked.

If I add new pictures I have to go through the same procedure: Deleting all my 22.000+ photos and deleting iPod photo cache...

I did the same with my iPhone 7 and it did not work.

Really confusing and frustrating...

Hi MikeyBananas,

Thanks for sharing and happy for you that it works!

I do sync from a folder (not from the photos library) and it does not work. So nothing to repair for me. Good got hear that apple is watching the thread so there is hope that there might be a solution one day. However I see that there are multiple bugs in this system. Let's hope for the best...

Ok, that’s interesting. Yes, the senior advisor told me, they are fully aware of what’s going on and have the engineers working on this glitch. What’s really interesting though, is why they are only working with individual users, instead of trying to fix the main problem on a future update. That part seems odd to me. I guess we’ll see how it plays out.

Yes, I was also contacted by Apple Support about my comments on this thread and I was able to explain all the issues in detail - that wired sync to iMac via Finder since install of Catalina (at least for me - I did not have issues prior) is causing issues - duplicates, solid white images, solid black images, missing images... but the good news for me at least is after the last update Albums nested within Folders in Photos do sync now - but the other issues are problematic enough that I have not been syncing Photos. Oddly enough while both of my iOS devices are missing images from the synced albums, only my 2018 iPad Pro is getting the duplicates, blank images. Syncs seem to be a little faster since the last updates as well.

I will point out that after all the recent updates, to iMac, and iOS, the first syncs to my iOS devices worked overall - except for missing a handful of images in albums that had a combo of pics and vids - the albums with only pics seems to have a matching number of images on iMac Photos and on the respective albums on the iOS devices. However, on the second sync, that’s when I started to get random duplicates and blanks on the iPad. And the second sync did not resolve the missing images on the iPhone either - a problem on both devices.

MikeyBananas - have you tested a second sync since your repair? I am wondering if the issue will return at that point as it did for me.

Sadly I don’t think the “repair library” is the fix - at least not for me, as I had done that about a month or two ago - maybe I have to do it again since the last updates?

The day Apple contacted me about this issue I didn’t have the time to capture all the sync processes they needed - like MikeyBananas said, it would take 3 hours at least which was my prediction. I will hopefully schedule another call to try to do the process so they can capture the issue for the engineers, as I know many of you have already done.

They are clearly aware of this issue and trying to get to the bottom of it.

Just adding to the chorus again.

I have had the issue for 6 months now. None of the updates to catalina of iOS 13 have helped. With this last round, the first sync matches my phone library with my Mac. But subsequent syncs have failed. Just like before. I also have an issue where shared libraries on my Mac do not reflect photos loaded from a device. So annoying.

No, not yet... We just fixed hits yesterday. I had plenty of time, since I work from home during this quarantine. We took our time, and tried a few other alternate solutions first, then tried this ‘repair library’ option last. I’ll let you know, once I sync again. I’ll do it tomorrow. Did you restart your desktop or MacBook in ‘safe boot mode’ before and after you repaired the library?

Yes, he said, the new updates have helped fix a lot of these glitches, so try repairing the library, after you update all devices to latest versions. See how it goes...

I ran the repair on Photos on my iMac 5K on 2020-02-02 REPAIRED LIBRARY - Option-Command and double-click the Photos icon - first it Repairs then it Rebuilds. I did a backup prior to this process. I ran the repair on the recommendation of someone in the Apple Community Forums around early February who said they had success syncing to iOS devices after this process. I ran it overnight since my Photos library is over 1.5 TB in size. It did not fix my issues, this was prior to the recent updates.

I didn’t restart in Safe Mode before or after - are you thinking that running the repair while in Safe Boot is part of the fix? And Syncing in Safe Boot is also part of the fix? Is that how you got yours working so far? Check and make sure your synced Album images match on your MacBook and on your iOS devices - especially in albums that contain both pics and vids - I am only missing 3 images or vids on two test albums on both of my iOS devices.

I am having also the “mixed improvements” with the new updates. I am syncing my iMac (late 2017 model) with my iPad Pro and iPhone 11 ProMax. The interesting thing I have found is several recent, but not all pictures in my albums were showing errors in the Photos app as missing files; I tried combating this with new JPG downloads that then came up as a OK, but after a “Photos repair” more pictures in the photos app on the iMac came up as missing ... NOW I AM AFRAID TO TRY FIXES!!!

please fix Photos as well as the finder fix Apple!

Re repairing the photos library, I had some success with syncing and getting albums in alphabetical order in February. Did not reboot in safe mode afterwards and use iCloud to sync my photos.

However my joy was short lived because next time I added anew album and set it on my Mac in alphabetical order it did not sync properly until I repaired library yet again.

Have spent ages with adviser on this and when I emailed after the new updates did not fix the problem, I had no reply...Guess he has given up trying to sort the problem 👎

i also have a major issue with connecting either my phone or iPad Pro by cable to myiMac. Photos does not recognise the vast majority of my photos have already been imported and wants to import them again as new photos. Totally bizarre...but seems to be an issue with the photos library to my mind.

wish Apple would sort it as it is the most annoying problem and has now been going on since September 19. Almost as bad as Covid 19

If Apple monitor this forum then why do they not just admit there is a problem and the fix is being worked on (if it actually is - can't believe it takes 6 months). That way, me included, wouldn't be wasting hours on the phone with support, to still have no fix and now have permanently lost photos. It is OK doing backups - but if it is months before you notice they are lost???

Gulliver you are right to be concerned about continuing to add to a “solved” yet “unsolved” thread, I was too. However, when Apple called me to get my input on this ongoing issue, I asked which thread they were referring to and the Apple rep confirmed the title of the thread and that it was the one with 62 pages so even though it’s marked “solved” they are aware it is not. He was just gathering detailed info to provide to the engineers.

Not sure if the person who started this thread can change it back to unsolved?

I think it does matter - if someone just started searching for this issue they might find that the issue has been “solved” since that is how it’s marked. And if an Apple support person unfamiliar with this issue is trying to search for it while on the phone with a customer having this problem, they might be misguided to see find that is has been marked as solved. When we all know it is not solved.

We want able to be sure to understand that for most of us it’s not solved, even though it has improved with the latest updates - syncing Albums nested in Folders is solved, but not without a suite of issues like random duplicates, missing images, blank white or black images....

We need Apple to understand this issue is NOT solved - how the thread is marked might be an issue. It could be misleading and at best, it adds confusion.

FWIW, I have similar threads (dealing with NON-Photos app sync) and I accidentally marked one as "solved" (that I had started) - and I was unable to "un-solve" it.

So, my opinion is, it's easy to accidentally mark (your own) a thread as solved, but not so easy to un-solve it.

Sounds promising MikeyBananas, but please try a second sync and see if the problem persists since that is one of the problems at hand. My second sync did not add any photos that were just added. The only thing I could see that it did do was remove 30 photos from my iPhone.

How do I get out of this discussion. I am completely disillusioned with Apple in general because of this topic that I spent too many hours with too many levels of tech support trying to fix. To be frank I am sick of my inbox filling up with work arounds that we shouldn’t have to do, it should just work the same as it always did up until last October anyway.