Photos repeatedly importing the same photos.

Question

Level 1

13 points

Photos repeatedly importing the same photos.

Photos is reimporting the same photos every time I connect my iPhone or iPad.

I'm running the most recent OS and iOS (iPhone 6, iPad 2) and most recent version of Photos. Every time I connect my phone or ipad "import new photos" re-imports the same set of photos, as well as any new photos.

Previous there was the "keep the photo app open on your phone when you connect" fix - as far as I can tell that is not still the case?

Any ideas what might be causing this?

Thanks.

iMac (27-inch Mid 2011), OS X Yosemite (10.10)

Posted on May 2, 2015 9:45 PM

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Answer 1

sterling r

Community Specialist

May 4, 2015 2:49 PM in response to c_knaus

Hello there c_knaus,

It sounds like you Photos app seems to think the same photos it has already imported need to be reimported over and over again along with photos that actually are new on the device whenever you connect it. I would start by quitting all the running apps on the iPhone:

iOS: Force an app to close

Double-click the Home button.

Swipe left or right until you have located the app you wish to close.

Swipe the app up to close it.

When you have done that restart the device, and your computer as well then test the issue again:

iOS: Turning off and on (restarting) and resetting

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

All the best,

Sterling

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Answer 2

c_knaus Author

Level 1

13 points

May 4, 2015 7:00 PM in response to sterling r

Restarting and resetting did not resolve the issue. Also, note that it is the same set of 109 photos that are repeatedly re-imported.

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Answer 3

sterling r

Community Specialist

May 5, 2015 6:06 AM in response to c_knaus

Thanks for the update! Since the issue is persisting backup your device to iTunes, then restore it as new and verify that it works.

How to erase your iOS device and then set it up as a new device or restore it from backups

If it does, then restore your backup to either verify it still works and the software just needed reinstalled, or isolate the issue to the backup file itself.

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Answer 4

c_knaus Author

Level 1

13 points

May 5, 2015 8:04 AM in response to sterling r

Ive recently turned on iCloud for photos - could that be the root cause of the issue? If I am automatically downloading all photos from the cloud to my desktop, I shouldnt have to sync at all, so when I sync the phone might the phone, photos and itunes be misaligned somehow? Thanks.

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