Did Apple change the directory structure for their photos?

lancewhit wrote:

Yep, I noticed this. With iOS 14.6, Apple changed the photo folder structure to names based on the date. I liked that change since it made it easier to identify which folders contained which photos. But I understand it may have caused hiccups for some people. But then with iOS 14.7, the folder structure went back to the older name format. I don't know what Apple is doing here. I don't think they know what they're doing either.

Apple knows exactly what they are doing. You are using an unsupported way to copy photos from your iPhone to Windows. Apple stores photos in a way to optimize management of the photos database in your phone; they do not expect you to (or want you to) access your photos in this unapproved way. They experimented with a different internal structure, apparently found that it didn’t work as well as the previous structure, and went back to the previous structure.

This link covers all of the supported ways to copy photos→Transfer photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

Why? Because Apple did not design the folder structure for your convenience, they structured it for the most efficient management of the photo database in the phone, because they don’t expect users to ever even look at it. Instead they provide several easy ways to transfer photos from the phone to a computer or other services. These ways are described here→Transfer photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support.

By far the easiest way is to enable iCloud Photos: Settings/[your name]/icloud - Photos ON. This will transfer the existing photos to your iCloud account, then going forward in real time as they are taken meaning that you will never lose a photo should disaster strike. Once in iCloud you have options:

• Log in to https://icloud.com/photos, where you can view them or download them to your computer
• Enable iCloud Photos in your Mac System Preferences, and they will automatically sync to the Photos app on your Mac
• Install iCloud for Windows, where you can view your photos on your PC and optionally transfer them to local storage on your computer.

It is a change introduced recently, but I don’t know when. Don’t be alarmed, it’s like this with all iPhones running the latest version of iOS 14.

Apple did not design the folder structure for your convenience, they structured it for the most efficient management of the photo database in the phone, because they don’t expect users to ever even look at it. Instead they provide several easy ways to transfer photos from the phone to a computer or other services. These ways are described here→Transfer photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support.

By far the easiest way is to enable iCloud Photos: Settings/[your name]/icloud - Photos ON. This will transfer the existing photos to your iCloud account, then going forward in real time as they are taken meaning that you will never lose a photo should disaster strike. Once in iCloud you have options:

• Log in to https://icloud.com/photos, where you can view them or download them to your computer
• Enable iCloud Photos in your Mac System Preferences, and they will automatically sync to the Photos app on your Mac
• Install iCloud for Windows, where you can view your photos on your PC and optionally transfer them to local storage on your computer.

I read the link. Under the Windows section, the first directive is to install the most recent version of iTunes. Which IMO is about the worst way to attack this issue. iTunes has never ever behaved the way I want, assuming it even bothers to recognize my device; even then, it's extremely slow and quirky.

It's much easier to simply treat the phone like any other camera and copy the DCIM folders (or desired photos) from the phone to your local hard drive. Once you've got a full backup, you only need to backup the most recent month (with the new monthly folder format). Easy as could be.

Maybe on some other earth in a parallel dimension, or on a Mac, iTunes is a great thing; but not on Windows.

Exactly! the improvement of changing folder to Year_Month in ISO14.6 was an amazing improvement in right direction. But it seems to me that Apple is afraid of "change"...... even through the change brings benefit to users.

I don't want to alarm you all but I think the month folders may be back.... YAAAAY! I am on iOS 15.0.2 and when I went to back up tonight, my folders are back to 202109_.

Although some months have multiple month folders, with a letter afterwards. Such as 202109_h. Does anyone know why that might be?

I think you don't understand Lawrence :

• Yes we all recognize you are very good (maybe the best ?) to explain Apple policy.
• But please just admit that some users may find more practical, efficient or pleasant to do things differently.
• And they are fully entitled to request Apple to support their needs or their user experience.

The iOS 14.6 DCIM folders names were indeed for me (and other users) the BEST (and I'm really serious) improvement in iOS in the last 10 years. You may disagree, but this is my opinion, and I have the right to have this opinion.

I hope iOS 15 will have this very same wonderful improvement of my user experience that will make me keep iPhones in the future... otherwise, I will change.

Period ;-)

There is no way to switch it back. It is an internal data structure not intended to be accessed by users, so it is likely to change frequently. This appears to be the 3rd change in less than a year.

I also noticed this a week ago. And I loved it! However, when I updated to iOS 14.7 last night, it reverted to the previous format 118APPLE, 119APPLE, 120APPLE, and so on!!!! Why?? I haven't finished backing it up with the date format folder. It was easier. Have you noticed this too when you updated to iOS 14.7?

You should never have copied photos from the iPhone’s folder structure; you should have used the recommended way of copying photos→Transfer photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support. The folder structure is an internal organizational tool, not intended to be accessed directly. In a way I’m surprised Apple let you even see it, as there isn’t much else you can see of an iPhone’s internal storage.

The canned "it's the user's fault, not Apple's" answer is this:

"Because Apple did not design the folder structure for your convenience, they structured it for the most efficient management of the photo database in the phone, because they don’t expect users to ever even look at it. Instead they provide several easy ways to transfer photos from the phone to a computer or other services. These ways are described here→Transfer photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support."

If you want my personal opinion (which Apple moderators will probably censor) I think they screwed up. They released this change, it didn't work correctly, probably broke iTunes and/or numerous other things, and they had to change it back; after costing many users hours and hours of effort and confusion. But that's the user's fault because they "shouldn't be using a camera like a camera", right?

I just upgraded from iPhone Pro Max 11 with 14.6 where it was indeed year_month (great improvement!) to IPhone Pro Max 13 with OS 15.1.1 and now it is yearmonth__ or yearmonth_a, yearmonth_b, yearmonth_c,.... which is a major downgrade....

As I said, use iCloud. Or use the Microsoft importer. Did you bother to read the link I posted?

yes it seems to have reverted to the 120APPLE format, which is inconvenient. There is no way to change it back to the 2020_08 etc format is there??