If I delete photos from my iPad, will they be removed from iCloud and/or my Macbook Pro?

Question

If I delete photos from my iPad, will they be removed from iCloud and/or my Macbook Pro?

I returned from an extended trip and have over 14,000 photos on my ipad mini. The photos have synced to Icloud and are sorted and stored in my Macbook Pro's iphoto library. I now desperately need to clear space from my ipad mini...

I downloaded the 'Delete Photos' app to help me with this mass deletion, but once I selected the photos I want gone and go to delete them I get a message that reads "These Photos will be deleted from iCloud Photo Library on ALL YOUR DEVICES". This message is the same one I receive when i go into my photo library on my ipad mini and multi-select for deletion. This message scares me! What does it mean?

Since I've synced, and my photos are already in iCloud and on my Macbook -Am I going to lose them? Will the mass deletion on my ipad mini, affect my Macbook Pro iphoto library in any way? Will the mass deletion on my ipad mini affect photos stored in iCloud in any way? How will this affect future Syncing?

These photos (memories) are very special to me, any help in not losing them is greatly appreciated.

iPad Mini, iOS 8.2

Posted on Mar 12, 2015 5:29 PM

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Answer 1

Mar 12, 2015 6:21 PM in response to MegsGotProblems

Here are the iCloud Photo Library Beta FAQs:

iCloud Photo Library beta FAQ - Apple Support

Here is a paragraph from those FAQs that seems to address your concernsL

How does iCloud Photo Library save space on my device?

If you turn on Optimize [device] Storage, iCloud Photo Library will automatically manage the size of your library on your iOS device, so you can make the most of your device's storage and access more photos than ever. iCloud Photo Library stores the original, high-resolution photos and videos in iCloud and can keep lightweight, device-optimized versions on each of your devices. As long as you have enough storage, recent photos and videos that you access the most will stay on your device at full resolution.

To turn on Optimize [device] Storage on your device, tap Settings > iCloud > Photos or Settings > Photos & Camera, then select Optimize [device] Storage. You need an Internet connection to access an original photo or video that’s stored only in iCloud.

Sounds like you just leave them there, and the optimized photos on your device will be automatically managed by the iCloud Photo Library.

Cheers,

GB

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Answer 2

JimHdk

Level 7

28,898 points

Mar 12, 2015 6:29 PM in response to MegsGotProblems

An iCloud backup will save the state of your Camera Roll at the time of the backup but, if you delete photos from the Camera Roll, they will not be in the next backup taken.

If you are using the iCloud Photo Library (beta) read this FAQ which will tell you what happens when you delete photos from one of the devices sharing the Photo Library.

iCloud Photo Library beta FAQ - Apple Support

The relevant section is:

How does iCloud delete photos and videos from iCloud Photo Library?

Deleting a photo or video from your Photos app will also remove the item from iCloud Photo Library and from your iCloud storage allocation. Photos and videos you remove can be recovered from the Recently Deleted album for 30 days. After 30 days, your content will be removed from the Recently Deleted album. Photos are backed up on our servers for up to 30 days after they're deleted from the Photos app. If you need to recover these photos during that time, contact Apple Support.

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Answer 3

Mar 12, 2015 6:14 PM in response to JimHdk

thanks for your response. I do believe this helped to answer my question... But also led to another question. Please forgive me and my technologically challenged mind.

Im having trouble understanding your comment ICloud is not an archive. I had similar large quantities of photos on my iPhone (all pics taken on this iphone). When they were deleted from phone, they remained on my iPad and MacBook via the cloud/photo library. Why would this be different on the iPad?

Buy buying 200gb of space in the cloud and regularly backing up all devices, am I not using iCloud as a storage archive of sorts?

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Answer 4

JimHdk

Level 7

28,898 points

Mar 12, 2015 5:38 PM in response to MegsGotProblems

It means exactly what it says. The photos will be deleted from iCloud Photo Library (ICloud). ICloud is not an archive.

This will not affect the photos in iPhoto on your MacBook.

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