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User profile for user: FishBurger101
FishBurger101 Author
User level: Level 1
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Why does iCloud Photos not show all photos on my iPhone, after successful iCloud back up?

I purchased the 2 TB iCloud+ a week ago, hoping to back up all photos and videos on my iPhone 12 Pro Max and make a physical copy of them to save it in an external storage media. During the iCloud backup I followed all the instructions and the backup was successful. However, when I log into iCloud.com from desktop using my Windows PC, I can only see approximately half of the photos, and less of the videos that are stored on my iPhone.



Above is proof that the iCloud backup has been completed successfully.



Here is my iPhone storage breakdown, with iCloud storage breakdown in below.



Things get interesting when trying to compare the number of photos and videos between iCloud and iPhone.



22,111 Photos and 777 Videos are saved on iCloud.


But on iPhone, there are 55,943 photos in total.


Together with a total of 2,442 videos on my iPhone.


With this confusion in mind, I am stuck. I do not have 'My Photo Stream' on my iPhone which complicates the issue. iCloud and iCloud Photos are what I have used.


Are there any solutions to my case? What is the best way to achieve my goal? I'm just trying to make a physical copy of all my photos and videos stored on my iPhone.


For now there are 2 ways that I can think of.

1) I could remove more data on my iPhone just to free up more storage, so I can download the original high-resolution photos from iCloud to my iPhone, then I can copy photos from iPhone to desktop using a cable. Downside for this is that the data transfer over a cable can be unstable and disconnects itself, also this means restricted functionalities since my iPhone storage will be constantly full during the data transfer progress that could take hours to days.


2) Seeing if there is anyway to fix this iCloud Photos backup issue. But Google is not being helpful as none solves my issue. Some of them mentioned 'reference photos' and has something to do with a Mac, but I 'm using a Windows PC, so I'm clueless.


Appreciate your kind patience to read through and the willingness to help.


-a desperate iPhone user trying to back up data









iPhone 12 Pro Max

Posted on Jul 11, 2022 8:29 PM

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User profile for user: FoxFifth
FoxFifth
User level: Level 10
471,567 points

Posted on Jul 12, 2022 9:21 AM

The following may not help much but may help you narrow down the problem.

iCloud Backup and iCloud Photos are two different things.


If you turn on iCloud Photos as described in Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support then your photos on that device should automatically sync with iCloud (but may take days for the original sync). The sync occurs when iCloud Photos is first turned on and when any change (addition, deletion, or edit) is made. Doing an iCloud Backup will not cause the photos to sync. You can view iCloud Photos in the photos app at iCloud.com as well as all devices where iCloud Photos is turned on.


iCloud Backup does not include photos if you also have iCloud Photos turned on. You cannot view the contents of an iCloud Backup by going to icloud.com. If you have iCloud Photos turned off, photos will be included in the backup but you cannot view them at iCloud.com. Also, iCloud Backup does not automatically sync photos with other devices like iCloud Photos does.


The number to compare 1) in the Photos app on a device, tap Library and scroll to the bottom of the screen and 2) in the Photos app at iCloud.com click Library in the sidebar and scroll to the bottom of the screen. If the numbers don't match then you may want to contact Apple Support. There is a Get Support link at the top right of this page.

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User profile for user: FoxFifth
FoxFifth
User level: Level 10
471,567 points

Jul 12, 2022 9:21 AM in response to FishBurger101

The following may not help much but may help you narrow down the problem.

iCloud Backup and iCloud Photos are two different things.


If you turn on iCloud Photos as described in Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support then your photos on that device should automatically sync with iCloud (but may take days for the original sync). The sync occurs when iCloud Photos is first turned on and when any change (addition, deletion, or edit) is made. Doing an iCloud Backup will not cause the photos to sync. You can view iCloud Photos in the photos app at iCloud.com as well as all devices where iCloud Photos is turned on.


iCloud Backup does not include photos if you also have iCloud Photos turned on. You cannot view the contents of an iCloud Backup by going to icloud.com. If you have iCloud Photos turned off, photos will be included in the backup but you cannot view them at iCloud.com. Also, iCloud Backup does not automatically sync photos with other devices like iCloud Photos does.


The number to compare 1) in the Photos app on a device, tap Library and scroll to the bottom of the screen and 2) in the Photos app at iCloud.com click Library in the sidebar and scroll to the bottom of the screen. If the numbers don't match then you may want to contact Apple Support. There is a Get Support link at the top right of this page.

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User profile for user: FishBurger101
FishBurger101 Author
User level: Level 1
0 points

Jul 13, 2022 9:19 PM in response to FoxFifth

Hello FoxFifth, thank you for your kind help and response, It's good to receive attention and help. However, for the information you have provided, I happened to know them when I was doing my desktop research looking for a solution few days ago.


I know that iCloud Backup and iCloud Photos are 2 different things, and I wish there is more control (buttons) for users to interact with iCloud Photos since there is limited manual control over its backup process at the moment. Unlike iCloud Backup where we have the 'Backup Now' button, users could only rely on and trust iCloud Photo's so-called 'automatic' backup, which offers low transparency in the process; I'm not even sure if there is a error-checking mechanism (like comparing the count of photos and videos between the device and iCloud), to ensure the iCloud Photo backup is error-proof and syncs everything.


For now, I would like to backup my photos with a physical copy, via the traditional way - connecting my iPhone with my windows PC through a cable for the data transfer. But the technical issue here for me is:


Since I have already selected the 'Optimise iPhone Storage' option under the iCloud Photos, and that the iCloud Photos backup is being done automatically at the moment, the original & high quality photos are now stored on iCloud rather than my iPhone.


So, to back up traditionally I would need to cancel iCloud so I can download the original & high quality photos back to my iPhone, to ensure that the data (photos & videos) I copy is the original ones, not those 'smaller, device-sized versions'.


To ensure there is no data loss, I wonder if my above understanding is correct?

What are the steps to download iCloud Photos back to my iPhone?

Are there anything I need to beware of?

As from what I have seen online, the revert process could be tricky and I would like to do anything to prevent data loss.


Appreciate your kind help and response FoxFifth, please have a good day.

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Why does iCloud Photos not show all photos on my iPhone, after successful iCloud back up?

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