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deleted photos from iCloud are not deleting on iPhone

I have deleted photos from iCloud, but they are still showing up on my iPhone. Why are they not syncing?

iPhone 11

Posted on Dec 10, 2021 1:10 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 14, 2021 11:13 AM

Hi! Thank you for trying to help me. Unfortunately, this didn't help. So I like to download my photos from iCloud.com (HP personal laptop) because that's the easiest for me. So after downloading them successfully, I then go and delete them. Usually, once I do this, I can look on my iPhone, and in almost real-time, they disappear. This is not happening anymore. I delete them and they are on my phone. I went to "recently deleted" and then did what you suggested, and they are still there on my darn phone.


The reason why this is so important is that not only do I have 2,500 photos I need to try to organize, but it's a real pain to have to delete them from 2-3 different places. Any thoughts on how I can fix this?


Thanks!

6 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 14, 2021 11:13 AM in response to jpotter917

Hi! Thank you for trying to help me. Unfortunately, this didn't help. So I like to download my photos from iCloud.com (HP personal laptop) because that's the easiest for me. So after downloading them successfully, I then go and delete them. Usually, once I do this, I can look on my iPhone, and in almost real-time, they disappear. This is not happening anymore. I delete them and they are on my phone. I went to "recently deleted" and then did what you suggested, and they are still there on my darn phone.


The reason why this is so important is that not only do I have 2,500 photos I need to try to organize, but it's a real pain to have to delete them from 2-3 different places. Any thoughts on how I can fix this?


Thanks!

Dec 15, 2021 10:20 AM in response to ryane77

Ok, just one more question. Once I go in and toggle the photos, I have a pop-up. Unfortunately it would not let me insert a screenshot, so I'll just type it. It first has a paragraph and then you have to choose from two options. Here is the short paragraph so you understand better:


[Do you want to download a copy of your iCloud Photos to this iPhone? Photos and videos that have been optimized to save space will be removed from this iPhone. The original, full versions will still be available on other devices using iCloud Photos.] Then it is:


Remove from iPhone OR Download Photos & Videos


So of course if I don't choose one then it won't let me simple toggle. Do you have any idea what this is or what I should do? Because I don't want them removed and I don't want to download them. So when I cancel out of this action, it won't let me toggle the iCloud Photos. Sorry for this back and forth.


Dec 12, 2021 6:35 AM in response to jpotter917

Hi jpotter917,


We understand you're trying to delete pictures on an iPhone. We're happy to offer some guidance.


If you have deleted the pictures but they are still using space, you'll want to make sure you clear them from the Recently Deleted folder to permanently delete them. You can access that in Photos > Albums > Recently Deleted.


You can find more info on deleting pictures on iPhone here: Delete photos on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch


Hope this helps. Cheers!

Dec 14, 2021 3:04 PM in response to jpotter917

Hi jpotter917,


Thanks for the follow up details!


So your iCloud Photo library no longer syncs. Got it.


Go to Settings > your name at the top > iCloud > Photos, and turn off the iCloud Photos option. Wait a few seconds, then turn that back on.


After toggling the iCloud Photos, it may take a few minutes to refresh the sync. After a few minutes try taking a picture and see if it is showing up on the iCloud website, or if it is still not syncing.


Cheers!

deleted photos from iCloud are not deleting on iPhone

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