Q: Delete single photos in photostream

Tunderhill --

What you said earlier about iCloud being a framework for apps that will increase in usefulness as more apps employ it made sense. Part of the problem is the way it integrates with Apple's own apps. I know it's not meant to be a storage system, but it interferes with the functionality of the storage system by putting an extra step between the transfer of files and the storage of files. It's unwieldy with both iPhoto and with Pages, but works great with newly installed apps, Calendars, and with Contacts. It's actually unnecessary with email.

The recent point about Dropbox is not that Dropbox is a better storage system, but that Dropbox is adding functions that work similarly to iCloud/Photostream. 

If Photostream didn't stream between in a way that required the photos to be exported and then managed (filed or organized) after that it'd be light years better. The files should transfer straight into my file management system. 

OK, so at the risk of repeating someone because i'm not going to read through every single post in this thread, it seems this is still a big problem and there is a simple, although not preferable, solution.

First go to photo stream, push the box with the arrow at the top right, select all of the pictures you want to KEEP. then save them.  After that go to Settings>iCloud>Photo Stream and turn it off.  It will ask if you want to delete, say yes, then all of your pictures you wanted to save are still there and the ones you didn't want are gone.  It's simple, just sounds complicated. Thanks!

Photostream is a good idea, but not as user friendly when it comes to deleting pictures.

How can I not be able as a user to delete single pictures from my photostream at my iOS or Mac device or via my browser (icloud)?

Dear apple engineers,

please update the PS so that the function for single deletion of a picture is possible on any of the devices! I as a customer would very much appreciate this to be implemented. Otherwise a great feature of the cloud offering and hoping to see more in the future!

Many Thanks

B

Sorry.  how can I delete a single photo on any device?

Photostream operates independently of device storage.  Once a photo is in photostream, it's there for a month and there's no getting rid of it without shutting off photostream.  The only thing you can do is

1. export the PS photos that you want to keep to your devices,

2. del. all of the unwanted PS photos from all of your devices,

3. turn off PS on your devices, then

4. log in to iCloud,

5. click your User Name in the upper right hand corner,

6. click Advanced, and then

7. click Reset Photo Stream

Easy.

1. export the PS photos that you want to keep to your devices,

2. del. all of the unwanted PS photos from all of your devices,

For example, drive to office (11 miles) delete photos from Mac, Drive to holiday home (83 miles) delete photos from Apple TV, drive back home (79 miles) delete photos from Mac and Apple TV plus iPhone Repeat trip after filling up at gas station to turn tem all back on again

Bad feature badly implemented superbly marketed by the Apple marketing dept and defended by legions of Fanboys

3. turn off PS on your devices, then

4. log in to iCloud,

5. click your User Name in the upper right hand corner,

6. click Advanced, and then

7. click Reset Photo Stream

Easy. (yeah if you say so ) :-)

Okay, that was funny.

I think other users described shortcuts, and maybe there's already been an update, but my experience was that if I didn't delete everything everywhere and turn it off and THEN go to iCloud to reset the stream photos left on even one device would just get re-uploaded to the stream and appear everywhere again.

Smile.... Glad you seethe funny side unlike Thundrhill :-)

What's really funny is that what you describe isn't completely unrealistic.

For me the problem is now solved.  I turned Photo Stream off and back on at two different locations.  One is an IOS 5 device, the other one is a Windows 7 PC.  The annoying photo disappeared with other photos older than 30 days.

I was unaware of the 30 day rule.

Documentation with examples would resolve all issues. 

List the sources where Photo Stream feeds (camera roll, PC or Mac folder) and the rules how photos are deleted (30 days, but need to trigger the rule enforcing) and voilà.

Sincerely,

Nousku

Photostream failed me.  I just arrived Bali with my MBPS and the iPad.  After CS5'ing the photos, I cannot sync to iPad otherwise it will delete my albums.  I cannot easily control what goes on to photostream.  So I Dropboxed them then saved them to the iPad.  When I continue to travel, I don't have to backpack the MBP just for showing friends my photos.   Of course it is up to Apple to do what they want. 

If I turn off photostream, the pop up state it will delete all photos.  Will it delete the photos that had been saved on the IPhone or will it just delete the photostream itself?

Photostream works alongside your photos in, say, iPhoto, but doesn't touch them.  If you turn off photostream and clear it on iCloud you'll lose all of your photostream photos, but it shouldn't affect any photos saved to your computer.  If you want to keep any of these ps photos, you'll want to export them to your computer.

I do not need the photos on photostream.  I already copied them to my computer.  I do want to keep them on my IPhone.  If I turn off PS can I still keep the photos and videos that are currently on my IPhone?

Yes. Turning off PS only deletes photos in PS and not on any of your devices.