I see my husband's photos but we've NEVER shared an Apple ID!

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Level 1

4 points

I see my husband's photos but we've NEVER shared an Apple ID!

Here's the deal: I used to backup my photos on an external hard drive, but a couple years ago, I switched to backing up with iCloud. When I did that, suddenly I could see my husband's photos but only from *before* that date. So all the photos on iCloud/Photos are my own since I started the backup, but his prior to that. All the faces that Photos recognizes as family members etc, are his (for example, Photos labels pictures of my husband as 'Me'). I know what you're thinking, but I swear WE HAVE NEVER SHARED AN APPLE ID. Ever. We each had our own accounts long before we met; my ID even uses my maiden name in my login. So, if we aren't sharing an ID, how could this be happening? To be clear, no other apps are confused; everything else in iCloud syncs appropriately with our respective accounts. Poltergeist or .... ?

Posted on May 2, 2024 11:07 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

scarlett444 Author

Level 1

4 points

May 2, 2024 11:27 AM in response to Mac Jim ID

Aaaaaaaaha. This is it. I am using his old iPad--I didn't do a factory reset, I just logged him out and then logged in using my Apple ID, not knowing this would happen (I mean, why would I ever think this would happen?? It's a strange design choice from the usually thoughtful Apple, don't you think?). Now that I know the root of the problem, I will purge accordingly. Thank you so much for relieving me of my haunting! :)

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Answer 2

lanphes

Level 1

32 points

May 2, 2024 11:16 AM in response to scarlett444

Is it possible that your husband also backed up his photos to that external drive and you synced them without realizing it?

Do you happen to share a Mac or iPad that you are signed into and he may have accidentally copied or synced his photos over manually or through another app on?

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Answer 3

May 2, 2024 11:16 AM in response to scarlett444

I understand that you are not sharing your Apple ID, but if you have ever logged into his device with your Apple ID, all of his photos would be added to your photos in iCloud. When you later sign out of your Apple ID on his device, it does not remove his photos. Sounds like that may have happened in the past.

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Answer 4

May 2, 2024 11:42 AM in response to scarlett444

No Problem. It is always best to do a Factory Reset when taking over a device. Not only do those photos sync if it was using iCloud Photos, but also any apps he has downloaded remain on the device and will not be able to be updated without providing his Apple ID and Password. I suppose the reasoning for having to do the factory reset is that the owner of the device can choose to have their information stored on the device or in iCloud and would not be happy to see all of their information deleted when they simply signed out of their Apple ID.

How to factory reset your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

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I see my husband's photos but we've NEVER shared an Apple ID!

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