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Can you create a single library of photos which have been taken on two different iPhones using different appleIDs?

My wife and I share a MacBook Pro which has been set up using my appleID. We both have iPhones and our own appleIDs. At the moment all of the photos that I have taken on my iPhone are visible on the MacBook Pro. However, I would be keen to identify a way that would also ensure that all the photos that my wife has taken on her iPhone (using a different appleID) are also uploaded to the same photo library?


At the moment the only way I have been able to do it is for my wife to airdrop all of her photos from her iPhone to my iPhone. Is there an automatic way to set it up so whenever my wife takes a photo on her iPhone (with her appleID) that it uploads onto the photo library on our MacBook Pro which is signed in using my appleID?


Kind regards


Sam

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.2

Posted on Feb 13, 2021 1:42 AM

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Posted on Feb 13, 2021 2:05 AM

The image capture app (already on your mac) is just a simple app to transfer photos from external devices (cameras, phones, memory cards) to a folder. It is not referenced to any apple ID.


So it should just work. Hang on, I'll try it...

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5 replies

Feb 13, 2021 1:49 AM in response to SamR81

Hi - unfortunately, no, there isn't.


All automation goes via iCloud/photostream - which is always linked to a particular apple ID.


Photos as a system is not really set up for a sharing libraries. There is a workaround of putting the library on an external disk, and each using your own apple ID/account on the mac to access it. But it is fraught with compromises, and I'd not really recommend if it, if you can live with manual transfer from your wife's phone to the mac.


Incidentally - a better way than air drop might be to use the image capture app on the mac (with a wired connection) to transfer photos from her phone to a folder, and then import to photos from there.

Feb 13, 2021 1:58 AM in response to TonyCollinet

Hi Tony


Many thanks for your quick reply and clear explanation.


To use the 'image capture app' on my MacBook Pro do I need to download any software or is it simply a case of plugging my wife's iPhone into it? Would it work having the MacBook Pro signed in to my appleID and plugging in my wife's iPhone that is set up using her own appleID?


Kind regards


Sam

Feb 13, 2021 2:20 AM in response to TonyCollinet

yes, worked perfectly - and I've just transferred all my wife's pictures from her phone to a folder, ready to go into my library.


Note though - that if she used iCloud photos, and sets optimise phone storage, it will only transfer the preview sized images from her phone. If this is the case it would be better to download her images directly from icloud.com

Can you create a single library of photos which have been taken on two different iPhones using different appleIDs?

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