ios - 8 where are the 'camera roll' and 'photostream' albums?

I see the ios8 had done away with the "camera roll" and "photostream" albums and replace them with a "recently added" album. Is there any way to get this old functionality back?

All I want is one folder that contains all the photos on my device and another that contains the photos that I'm happy to share across my devices. I would have hoped I could have create some smart albums, but albums seem to have to be curated manually.

I know I can see all my photos with the photos tab, but there are two issue I have with this, #1 the "collections" interface is horrible – I just want a nice grid of photos like in albums – and #2 my photostream photos are merge within them.

I now have no way of telling if I'm deleting a photo from the phone or the photostream, for example when I'm trying to free up space on the phone.

Would turning on the "icloud photo library" feature help? I would rather not use that as I don't want it to waste all my icloud space.

iPhone 5, iOS 7.0.3

Posted on Sep 17, 2014 12:55 PM

109 replies

Sep 27, 2014 3:11 PM in response to léonie

I am guessing too that if no photos are on the device, and all are in the cloud, when you have no internet connection you have no photos. Like - Pandora. Or iTunes Radio. But we'll see about that I guess.

Sep 28, 2014 3:23 AM in response to léonie

@léonie Yes, but something is stored locally on the device. What depends on whether you select "Optimize iPhone Storage" or "Download and Keep Originals" - so at the very least you are storing thumbnails on your device.

Csound1

Level 9

60,063 points

Sep 28, 2014 3:26 AM in response to JonnyB

JonnyB wrote:

Fine - where is the "PhotoStream" photo album that could hold up to 1000 pictures? I have an iphone and ipad BOTH with IOS8 - I do not own a Mac. When I look at icloud.com from my PC - there are no pictures there.

Is your PC compatible, what version of iCloud does it have, 3?

Oct 3, 2014 1:27 PM in response to think.different

It looks like the Camera Roll may come back in some form in iOS8.1 if you disable iCloud Photo Library, which is what is working in iOS 8.1 beta 1 at the moment. See > http://www.cultofmac.com/298562/resurrect-camera-roll-ios-8-1/

JonnyB

Level 1

25 points

Oct 4, 2014 5:02 PM in response to think.different

A few thoughts on this subject. I am running IOS 8.02 - at no time during any upgrade have been shown anything about iCloud Photo Library - not even a beta option - where is everyone else seeing this?

Now this...there are some images in Recently Added that when I go to edit them - say - not editable, make a duplicate. Ive done that - its a pain in the *** as now you have multiples of the same image on your device....BUT - I have found that if you start up a 3rd party app like Aviary - to edit that same photo - it does NOT say make a duplicate - its makes the edits as it should as saves one copy. Makes no sense to me all.....I thought the "Not Editable" message meant that "that photo is not located ON THIS DEVICE - if that is true - how is 3rd party app finding it?

jonB

léonie

Level 10

200,687 points

Oct 5, 2014 3:56 PM in response to JonnyB

iCloud Library is back in Beta status; it depends on if you previously had installed the Beta version of iOS 8 on your devices, if you are now seeing it or not. It is not much use anyway, without a matching Photos.app on the mac.

See: Apple Pushes iCloud Photo Library Back to Beta as SMS Continuity Delayed to October - Mac Rumors

Oct 6, 2014 2:22 AM in response to think.different

Right, having turned off "My Photo Stream" on my phone, after the 8.0.2 update I turned it back on the see if anything has changed.

Now it will not show any historical Photo Stream photos – it will only sync new photos. If I turn it off/on again only the photos that where taken since the 8.0.2 update will sync back to the device non of the photos take pre 8.0.2 update on other devices and in the Stream will sync.

Only heaven knows what Cupertino are up to?

kyte

Level 1

44 points

Oct 6, 2014 2:56 AM in response to think.different

I Dont think anyone at Cupertino has thought it through. They lost the plot. The changes to photography in iOS should *not* have been made until the entire system was ready. It is, as I've said, a dogs breakfast.

Csound1

Level 9

60,063 points

Oct 6, 2014 8:11 AM in response to think.different

think.different wrote:

@JonnyB You can find the iCloud Photo Library option under Settings > Photos & Camera. Here you can toggle it on/off. It's the first item on the pane above My Photo Stream.

Provided iCloud Drive is on, that's correct.

I am not suggesting that anyone switch iCloud Drive on unless they understand what that will mean to them.

Csound1

Level 9

60,063 points

Oct 6, 2014 11:40 AM in response to léonie

Interesting, I upgraded an iPad and a phone, neither had the iCloud Photo Library option until I switched iCloud Drive on? (although I am less sure about the iPad, I wasn't paying attention by then) There are multiple descriptions in this thread, what's really going on?

There are a lot of variables,

iCloud Drive, on, off but previously on, or on for the account from another device:

iPhoto Library on or off

PhotoStream on, on but previously off, on at the time of upgrade but subsequently off

or some combination of the foregoing 😮

And I may have missed some 😕

léonie

Level 10

200,687 points

Oct 6, 2014 11:58 AM in response to Csound1

My guess:

iCloud Drive, on, off but previously on, or on for the account from another device:

iPhoto Library on or off

iCloud Drive once enabled upgrades the account to iCloud Drive. We can disable it again, but the upgrade cannot be undone. Probably that is why I am seeing the iCloud iPhoto Library option now continually.

It would help, if Apple would put back some documentation, since this feature is available.

gazdzzy

Level 1

0 points

Oct 8, 2014 4:25 PM in response to think.different

This discussion has nothing to do with the iCloud drive. It is essentially apple doing away with the fundamental options of having the "Camera Roll" and "Photostream" albums. There needs to be a very clear distinction between photos taken on each and every iOS device and those that are shared on photo stream. Confusing iOS users with all these pictures being mixed up on each and every device and not knowing which photo you are deleting (whether it is local or photo streamed) is a phenomenal step backwards in my point of view.

I am seriously hoping this whole thing is a flaw and that apple will reintroduce the photo stream and camera roll albums. I really wonder whose bright idea was it to do away with those albums?!

Oct 11, 2014 10:23 AM in response to gazdzzy

@gazdzzy I know that the original topic of this thread has nothing to do with iCloud Drive, I'm just helping @JonnyB. I completely agree with the rest of your comment. Apple seems to think that simplifying everything is the way to go, but as you say it's important to distinguish what is on the device and what is in the cloud. Roll on 8.1 and lets see if that makes more of a pigs ear of the situation.

Oct 20, 2014 4:10 PM in response to think.different

To confirm that the 8.1 upgrade does now bring back the two missing albums; Camera Roll, and My Photo Stream – as they worked in iOS7.

You can now once again curate both these album independently of the other, ie if you delete an image from the My Photo Stream it will remain on the Camera Roll and visa-versa.

The only negative is that now the My Photo Stream album still only shows the photos taken since the iOS8 upgrade, even though there are photos still in the stream that visible on non iOS8 devices.

kyte

Level 1

44 points

Oct 20, 2014 5:06 PM in response to think.different

I decided to import everything in the stream, to iphoto,then delete from the stream and start over. I have not u/g to Yosemite yet (or rather i did, hated it so much, that I downgraded to Mavericks. Though my personal opinion is that Mavericks was an upgrade.)... I'm now going to wait until the real photos app is released. Seriously Apple, what are you on... that needed to come out with Yosemite!

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

ios - 8 where are the 'camera roll' and 'photostream' albums?