Photos not going to My Photo Stream on iPhone 12 Pro

Ever since my phone was updated to the update that was released after 14.1 and before 14.3 (don't remember the exact number) when I take a photo it uploading to the photo stream is intermittent at best.


For example, I took 7 pictures today outside and when I returned home and on my Wifi network, only 2 of them appeared in the photo stream.


Sometimes, if I take a picture at home, it will go to the stream, sometimes not.


If I take a photo with another device (another phone, iPad) it goes to the stream quickly.


Before that version of Ios 14, it worked perfectly.


Could a bug have been introduced?


I have turned it off, then back on, restarted the device, etc.

iPhone 12 Pro, iOS 14

Posted on Dec 20, 2020 4:16 PM

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Posted on Apr 25, 2021 9:44 AM

I believe I've found the trigger.


I did a 'Reset all Settings', and Photo Stream started working fine. I then went to try toggling settings one by one, and the very first one broke Photo Stream. In Camera Settings, under Formats, set to "Most Compatible" breaks it. Switching it back fixes it.


It is just on the iPhone 12 Pro. Changing the same setting on my wife's SE does not break it.


Please check yours and see if you have "Most Compatible" set, and try toggling it.

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Apr 25, 2021 9:44 AM in response to AndreTheGeek

I believe I've found the trigger.


I did a 'Reset all Settings', and Photo Stream started working fine. I then went to try toggling settings one by one, and the very first one broke Photo Stream. In Camera Settings, under Formats, set to "Most Compatible" breaks it. Switching it back fixes it.


It is just on the iPhone 12 Pro. Changing the same setting on my wife's SE does not break it.


Please check yours and see if you have "Most Compatible" set, and try toggling it.

Apr 25, 2021 11:43 AM in response to AndreTheGeek

Also the same happens to me.

With “Most Compatible” setting enabled, some photos not going to Photo Stream.

But if I set that option on “High Efficiency” everything start to work again and as I expected.


So I really suspect that Camera Format options are buggy with Photo Stream when is enabled “Most Compatible”.

I have an iPhone 12 mini and I not perform a “Reset all settings” but only change that option.


@AndreTheGeek could you try to tell to Apple developers to investigate in more specific way and in particular to Camera Format settings?

Mar 24, 2021 12:34 PM in response to David Knowles2

I've been doing some more troubleshooting to try and figure this out. Because it is so consistent (same pictures upload if I disable and re-enable Photo Stream), I started to look at the photos' embedded EXIF information. No clues.


I did get a change though when I did this. I have a MacBook, iPad and iPhone. I turned off Photo Stream, then turned on iCloud Photos on the iPhone and the Macbook. I left the iPad without iCloud Photos, but left Photo Stream on.


I waited until all my photos had synced to iCloud (all photos showed up on MacBook), then I enabled Photo Stream on the phone again. Magically, new photos I took on the phone were now showing up in Photo Stream on the iPad.


I turned everything off again, and got rid of the iCloud photos, then put things back the way they were: Photo Stream on for both the iPad and iPhone. Back to the same issue: only a few iPhone pictures go.


This may not help, but it is a clue. I might switch to iCloud Photos, but I'm not sure I just want everything mixed in together. I like having the "additional" folder called Photo Stream. Hopefully they will fix it. Based on what I've seen with "updates" so far, it doesn't seem that they are even aware of the issue. And I can't find anyone except you who has the exact same issue as me. There's got to be some condition you and I both meet - a setting perhaps. I'm running out of ideas though.

Jan 29, 2021 2:14 PM in response to David Knowles2

I have the same issue!

I have an iPhone 12 Mini..so maybe the bug is not related to AppleProRAW feature.


When I take a picture over wifi network, it upload on my photo stream immeditly.

When I take a picture over mobile network and then I connect my iPhone on a wifi network, picture does not upload on my photo stream.

BUT, when I take a screenshot over mobile network and then I connect my iPhone on wifi network, screenshot is uploaded on my photo stream immediatly.


It is a really strange behaviour!

I tried to disable, reboot and re-enable my photo stream on both my MacBookPro and my iPhone, but I have not solve the issue.

Both, iPhone and Mac, are runnnig the latest software version: MacOS BigSur 11.1 and iOS 14.4


If someone have idea to how to solve this issue, please let me know!

Apr 27, 2021 3:38 PM in response to AndreTheGeek

So I called Apple today.


They never opened a ticket with engineering like they said they did and they said they are doing it now.


I demonstrated the issue to them right over the phone. I change the photo settings back to what we had originally took six pictures on cellular and when I went to Wi-Fi they didn’t move over, but when I change the setting, they did move over.


They wanted me to reload everything on the phone, however I refused at this time.


supposedly I will have a call with them in a few days when engineering responds. Will see if they do

Jan 29, 2021 2:19 PM in response to tubag87

This sounds like a different issue from mine. Mine chooses some and omits others - the choice is consistent. It always chooses the same photos. The ones that go, go quickly every time. It's choosing only a small number of my photos, and purposely omitting most of them. If I reset/delete, then set it up again, exactly the same photos get uploaded, and the same ones get skipped.

Apr 24, 2021 8:31 PM in response to AndreTheGeek

I have not heard anything from my ticket.


my requests for updates have been ignored.


maybe this will be fixed in 14.5, but something tells me it won’t.


I don’t have a mac - just a windows pc, iPhones and an iPad.


the 12 pro is the only one that has this problem.


I demonstrated this to Apple while I was on the phone with them.


I suspect they do not care

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Photos not going to My Photo Stream on iPhone 12 Pro

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