Q: Delete single photos in photostream

This discussion has nothing to do with the future of the internet (no, it's not going to go away, though more and more services will move to direct traffic as described), nothing directly to do with "design principles," nothing to do with a guiding philosophy, nothing to do with "viewing your pictures in the cloud."  We just want to be able to delete a single photo from photostream without having to turn off photostream on all devices, sign in to iCloud, and then delete everything there, and then turn everything back on.  Seriously -- common sense, people? 

Yes, at present, the workaround is to keep photos from being added automatically to your photostream.

Photostream and iCloud in general needs to be able to mirror any laptop environment in the way files are found and organized and then reproduce it on the iPad and iPhone, even if it's only accessible via individual app.  Apple is consistently behind in providing this capability, but does provide it eventually with future updates: think about folders for apps, the way photos can be organized in iPhoto by faces, events, etc.  An extension of this design lag would be in the way text documents are organized in Work on iCloud.  We should be able to group documents somehow -- if not in standard folders, then classified by "projects" or something like that.  What they have now is awkward and inefficient. 

I would suggest that these current limitations actually seem to violate Apple's design principles and philosophy, which seems to be focused on simplicity, flexibility, elegance, and being user-friendly via intuitive interfaces.  These principles are the reason I like Apple products.  I like Apple products for the same reasons I like certain kinds of cars, watches, shoes, and pens.  But you need to understand that of the four, only elegance is handed down by designers.  The other three are determined by users.  As a result, it's rather counterproductive to tell users that they're wrong, when the design is supposed to be carried out with them in mind.

JJR-1964,

This discussion has EVERYTHING to do with the future of the internet.  Photo stream, iOS5, and iCloud, are the first major evolution to the future of the internet and what everyone is complaining about is the reversal that apple pulled in terms of thought process.  I am not "guessing" and i'm quite insulted that you would suggest that i am.  You are making this personal like all of the other frustrated users.  I NEVER said the internet was going away.  I said the traditional model of using a browser to "visit" the internet is going away.  This is a KNOWN FACT in silicon valley.  I have already seen the prototypes of the future of the internet.  When you have tremendous wireless speed, you no longer have a need to go to facebook to look at your photos or status.  You can simply STREAM that content directly to your device and eliminate the need for a depository in the sky.  People think that the internet is a place.  That is a marketing tool.  It is no different than phone lines, copper wire, coaxial cable etc etc. It is technology that allows the bi-directional transfer of data between two pieces of hardware.  The internet as a place exists SOLELY because connections were too slow to instantly see a large file so they realized it was faster for you to go to their servers.  Now the content on their servers is pushed to your devices.  In ten years, your toaster and your lights and your phone and your car will be interconnected via a massive speed wireless network.  The term "browser" will be like the term Cassette.  It will be mocked and laughed at.  I am assuming based on the 1964 in your name that you were born in that year.  You are showing your age and a complete lack of understanding of the technology world.

I was a bit careless in my use of terminology.  What I meant to say is that -browsers- will not be going away, as it is impractical to replace every existing webpage with an app.  I'm not arguing with your projection of future developments, just saying that they will take place alongside the currently configured internet, not in place of it.  Some current internet services will be replaced with a future configuration but not all of them.  That would be undesirable.

Nothing that you say has anything to do with the ability to delete a single photo from Photostream, and everything users are complaining about reveals the types of changes that need to be made for the transition that you anticipate to be worth making. 

Please also keep in mind how centralized, controlling, and -fascist- it would be to -have to- keep all of -your files- on -their cloud-.  Apple's not doing that now: we have the option to back up to our own machines.  The option to keep a machine off a cloud and still be functional is inestimably important,  however.   

Fair enough.  I jumped on you too early.  I personally have no issue with everything in the cloud.  I'm not "scared" of Apple.  But if you want to keep your stuff out of the cloud, then don't use iCloud or just turn off photostream and use different services.  That's what makes this world great.  You have lots and lots of choices.

Hi everyone! I think we are getting a bit distracted here now or certainly lacking focus I fear. This is about deleting photos - at least that is where we started. I still think the solution is simple. We can already delete photos on the iphone and I can see no reason why this should not be possible in the same way on the ipad. Once this is accepted it is a small step to allow deletion on photostream and hence icloud. Coding this would be so easy - user spec being: first select and mark photos for deletion; offer "1. on this device only", "2. on this device and icloud"; and finally "confirm deletion". This would work on iphones, ipads, and all mac computers -"tch, simple" as the meerkat would say!  Common Apple work with your users...

During Christmas is the hardest, I am taking photos of gifts and I don't want them on PhotoStream.

I have a current workaround.  Currently I turn off WIFI, take the photo, upload to Dropbox, delete photos from Camera Roll, turn WIFI back on.

It keeps the photos off of PhotoStream.

I'd also like to say that I think the reason you cannot delete a single photo is because the photos are not "In the Cloud", like say Dropbox.

PhotoStream is more like: Take a photo and have it automatically emailed to all your devices.

They are not stored anywhere.  So if you delete a photo from PhotoStream on your phone, it can't "un-email" them form your iPad, Mac, Apple TV.

Once you send somebody an MMS photo, you can't unsend it.  i am "Assuming" this is how it works.

I hope they come up with a fix soon.

That's not true actually.  Your photos are stored in the cloud.  You just can't access them from the cloud because the purpose is to circumvent the cloud experience.  If you are taking photos that you do not want to share on photostream, then just TURN OFF photostream on that device until you are finished.  That is the simplest "workaround".  I'd like to clarify one issue here though.  Who else can see your photostream?  Are you sharing an account?  If so, why?  They are free.  Everyone should have their own account on their own devices.  If you are letting your kid play on your ipad, then you should turn off photostream if you don't want him to see his gifts.  Just like in the "old days" when you had to hide the gifts from kids in the house leading up to christmas.  This all goes back to my first point of you are trying to get functionality out of photo stream that it was not designed for.  They will add it because you are all clamoring for it, but i just don't see the point.  You are missing the concept (or think it's irrelevant) that while google offers a place to store photos "in the cloud", Apple wants you to store photos on your devices.  NOT IN THE CLOUD.  You use the photostream to see your last 30 days of photos and you save whichever ones you want on your device.  They set it at 30 days, so you have 30 days to save the photo on one or more or all devices.  Photostream is NOT your storage.  That's why it doesn't cost any money to store your photos.  It does however, BACK Up your photo roll so you can restore your actual camera roll (not photostream) using icloud. 

1.  iCloud is backing up your photos and you can redownload them at any time.

2.  Photostream is simply showing your photos on all of your devices for saving at a later date.

3.  If you want to store and view select photos in the cloud, then use a locker service.  I have a dropbox app ON my iphone and my ipad and my mac.

4.  It is called a "STREAM" because it continually streams photos across all your devices for saving later.  These are NOT your photos.  If you do not save them on a device after 30 days, you will lose that photo for good.

If I turn off Photostream, it says it will delete all the photos on there.  I don't want to do that.

A better workaround I just found is to use a third-party camera app like Camera+.

So if I want to take pictures of potential engagement rings, I can use Camera+ and email my family from there and not worry about them accidentally getting onto PhotoStream (which is my Apple TV screensaver).

By The Way, just because it's not practical to you doesn't mean that the rest of us wouldn't like that added functionality.  Everyone uses their smartphones differently and if enough people out there would like this added functionality, Apple should at the very minimum review the option.

It's not practical period and what many of you are asking for was not the purpose of the solution.  You are trying to force a solution to do what you want and you are frustrated that it won't.  My point is that you should find another solution instead of trying to force a square peg in a round hole.  you can not delete a single photo on photostream.  Forget the fact that you aren't using it properly.  That's the bottom line.  Go find a program (as you did) that does what you want so that you use your "smartphones differently".  Stop beating your heads against the wall because an airplane doesn't go underwater.  That's not what airplanes are for.  Go find a submarine.  That is the answer to everyone on this board.

Tunderhill wrote:

 

I'd like to clarify one issue here though.  Who else can see your photostream?

Anyone who switches on Apple TV, that's who!

Sounds to me, like your issue is with Apple TV then for not allowing you to view your camera roll instead of your photostream.  Read this.  It's very clear.

http://www.apple.com/icloud/features/photo-stream.html

and here's your answer regarding Apple TV with photo stream.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4362

Tunderhill wrote:

 

Sounds to me, like your issue is with Apple TV then for not allowing you to view your camera roll instead of your photostream.

I don't have an issue, just answering your question.

I see that iOS 5.1 Beta is out... I guess I'm hoping too much that it might include a "delete" option in the Photostream on the iPhone / iPad. Any Dev's care to comment?