How can I sync my iphone camera roll with a specific Mac folder?

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How can I sync my iphone camera roll with a specific Mac folder?

I want to sync all of my camera roll pics with a specific folder on Mac. I don't want to use iCloud (because I don't want to pay Apple forever) and I don't want to use Photos on the Mac, because I don't want my pictures commingled with my wife's and kids' photos, and I want to be able to access the photos without having to connect my phone to the Photo app on the Mac. The sync photos option in the Finder seems to sync only one way (transferring photos from my Mac to a folder on my iphone), but I want to sync my Camera roll to a folder on my Mac, and then I could also add favorites to that Mac folder to be sync'd back to my camera roll, so that I don't have to have two different folders on my iphone. I don't want to have manually sort and sync favorites every couple of months. Why can't I do this?

iPhone 13 Pro, iOS 15

Posted on Dec 26, 2021 5:16 PM

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Answer 1

Dec 27, 2021 7:50 AM in response to NVALofti

Hi

You can use the image capture app to transfer images from your phone to a folder on your mac. It is a manual process though - there is no automatic sync method.

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Answer 2

NVALofti Author

Level 1

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Dec 27, 2021 7:42 AM in response to muguy

Yes, I reviewed that thread, and it does not address my question. Finder syncing/Manual syncing only allows one way transfer of photos from a selected folder on your Mac to your phone. The photos are placed on your iPhone in a seperate folder called "From your Mac". It's a one way sync, from your Mac to your iPhone. Finder sync does NOT sync the other way, from your camera roll to a folder on your Mac.

I have googled and read many threads with the same question, and people keep posting this link or another link where Apple says to use iCloud. But that doesn't answer the question: Why can't I just sync my camera roll directly to a folder of my choosing on my Mac?

I don't want to use Photo on the Mac, because I don't want my photos permanently stuck in Apple's photo database format. I want to see my individual photo files.

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Answer 3

muguy

Level 10

92,060 points

Dec 27, 2021 7:54 AM in response to NVALofti

You can certainly import pictures from your device either through Photos or Image Capture.

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Answer 4

muguy

Level 10

92,060 points

Dec 26, 2021 5:18 PM in response to NVALofti

Learn more about manually syncing: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201313

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Answer 5

NVALofti Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 27, 2021 8:27 AM in response to muguy

But it's manual, which means I have to set a reminder every 3 months or so to import photos. Why is this? Why won't Apple let us sync both ways if we can do it one way (Mac to iPhone)?

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Answer 6

Dec 27, 2021 9:43 AM in response to NVALofti

We don't know - we are not apple, just users like you.

- if you want to give feedback to apple, the only channel they might listen to is:

https://www.apple.com/feedback/photos.html

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Answer 7

NVALofti Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 28, 2021 5:53 AM in response to TonyCollinet

Thanks, I did submitted it. Appreciate your help!

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How can I sync my iphone camera roll with a specific Mac folder?

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