Delete Photos from "Photo Library" on iPhone 5

Welcome to the Apple Community.

Uncheck them in the photos tab for your phone in the devices list in iTunes and then click Apply.

I don't know why apple has this feature, but to delete from the library, you have to connect you iPhone to your computer and sync. Once done, open iTunes deselect the photos you don't want. Click Apply. The Sync will delete your photos from the iPhone. (optional: you can also delete the picture from the library on the computer and click sync. just make sure the pictures on your computer is saved in a diferent folder. this way you have a copy.)

simple and done! Thank you

I have the same problem. I tried this solution and it didn't help. My iTunes is now looking to sync with an empty folder on my computer, but it still uses 2.5GB. Any other ideas?

I figured it out. Backup your phone on iCloud, do a system restore on the iPhone, then get all your settings back from iCloud on the phone. Apparently it is false memory that isn't synced well. This is what the genius at the Apple Store told me.

iTunes is truly unintuitive. I've never been much of an apple universe person, but I like my iPhone.

Many people on this thread and others complete their answers, leaving out basic steps, and then say, "This will get it done. I don't know why everyone doesn't listen"

I read the first page of posts from this thread and the last page. The solutions don't work because they assume that I know or care about iTunes. When I hear Apple lovers jokingly point at PC's, I'm always interested, because I'm tempted to get more involved in Apple world. But if iTunes is all Apple has to manage files and interactions between devices, I'm moving toward cheaper android products and keeping my PC

The ten pages of solutions over the last three years presented in this thread are almost a satirical view of Apple. In PC world, you go to a file manager. In Apple world, there's magic syching. And as if 10 pages weren't proof enough of a ridiculous problem that continues to go unsolved.

And no matter that I rant: I still can't get my picture library cleaned.

What is it that you are wanting to do? If you have albums on your device that were sync'd via iTunes, then you have to get them off the same way. That is why people answer the question that way. Obviously, if you used it to get them on, then you know how to get them off since it is the same exercise.

What, exactly, are you wanting to remove from your device?

Cheers,

GB

When I look at my iPhone, I have phantom photos in the Photo Library which I come to find out can't be deleted on the phone without the synching process via iTunes. Fine. I have no idea how I set this up when I got the phone. I'm just not interested in getting that involved. I got the phone two years ago and don't want to become an iPhone power user. I just want to make calls, run apps, access the internet. I hated iTunes immediately but whatever it does when I plug in my phone, so be it. One can tell that it's a music-centric app.

I go to iTunes and try taking the numerous steps people have recommended, with no luck. I can't choose the photos in the Photo Library that I want to delete, because iTunes doesn't allow me to select "Photo Library" and delete photos - I have to figure out where the photos actually are and then sych them. They're stored in some unintuitive place that I can't reach. So then I start setting up empty folders on my desktop so I can synch all my photos to this empty folder, but I still can't get to the actual photos in iCloud or wherever the heck they're stored.

I'm ready to do a hard reset so I can clear the memory - truly throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Thanks for responding, but with all due respect, you did the same thing by responding, "If you have albums on your device that were sync'd via iTunes, then you have to get them off the same way. That is why people answer the question that way. Obviously, if you used it to get them on, then you know how to get them off since it is the same exercise." (emphasis is mine). You assume too much. I don't know how to get them off.

"...open iTunes deselect the photos you don't want..."

I have no option to do this in iTunes. Where, in iTunes, are the "Photo Library" photos? Those are the photos I want to delete. If i could send you a screen shot, I would, but this platform doesn't accept them, as far as I can tell.

OK, so you need to tell us what you mean by "Photo Library". On an iDevice, the Photos app has: "Photos", "Shared", and "Albums". You need to tell us which Album the photos you want to delete are located. That is the place that corresponds to the Photos tab in an iTunes sync.

I will be happy to provide instructions, but I need to know exactly where the photos you want to delete are located. The Album that they are in dictates the process you need to follow.

Cheers,

GB

If you have an iPhone 5S, you'll see PHOTO LIBRARY by going to SETTINGS/GENERAL/USAGE/MANAGE STORAGE/PHOTOS & CAMERA. I'm not sure if this is the same path on an iPhone 6.

The PHOTO LIBRARY is eating 20% of my storage. The fixes I've tried from Apple Support don't work. If you have a solution, assume I'm brand new to the Apple world, because although I've had an iPhone for five years, I don't get the references that people imply. I've looked at the iTunes solutions that people have presented and they don't match what I see in iTunes

Really, thanks for your help. I'm beyond frustration at the moment. Honestly, on a PC, this is a no brainer activity. You don't want files, you erase them from your hard drive or off-site storage, all through the same platform.

OK, so they are showing in your Photo Library usage statistics, but you do not see anything in your actual Photos app, correct?

If that is the case then it is very possible that you may be experiencing a bug that a fellow poster txforever discovered a fix for:

Open your Photos app and select the Recently Deleted album, and make sure that all of the photos have been manually deleted from this folder. (Normally, you would just leave them there, and they would be automatically deleted by the iOS after they had been in that folder for 30 days).

However, it appears that there is some sort of issue with those photos that have been "automatically" deleted, and although you can no longer see them, they are not actually removed fully from the device.

Here is txforever's discovery:

- Go to Settings>General>Date & Time and set your date back to 9/1/2014

- Open the Photos app and click on the Recently Deleted album (even though it says "0")

- Once it is open you may see photos you previously deleted that were supposed to have been permanently deleted by the iOS. Manually delete these photos to clear out any residual photos being shown in your Photo library usage

See how that affects your Storage for Photos and post back if you have any questions!

Cheers,

GB

Success! That did the trick, GB. Thanks so much

Tom

---- End of Whining --------

😁 You are most welcome Tom!

It wasn't something you could have known about, so understandably frustrating. Glad you are all set now!

Cheers,

GB

This is AMAZING! Helped me out so much! Any idea about the "docs and data" storage on the phone and why that takes up so much space too?