iCloud photo library slow upload

Hi,


Specs first

iMac 2009 running OS X 10.10.3, 4GB RAM 2.66GHz Intel core duo processor

iPhone 6 128gb

iPad Air 32gb


Sky Fibre Internet

speedtest.net verified download speed 25Mbps, upload speed 4Mbps

Wifi connection via Airport Extreme


Photos library 8200 images and videos totalling around 160GB

Upgraded iCloud subscription to 200GB to cater for upload of Photos library



Issue

I enabled iCloud photo library on my devices yesterday (using optimised photos option). It has been running for 18 hours now and the counter on my Mac says '8100 images remaining'. I have checked all updates are completed, repaired permissions, logged out and back in to iCloud and still progress is woeful, and to be honest that's being polite.


i've had to 'pause' the upload to write this message as it cripples my internet on all devices.


Checking cloudd network data in activity monitor shows 'data sent/sec' to fluctuate and max out around 5KB.


Disabled iCloud photo library on iPhone and iPad in case this was causing the issues. No joy.


Anyone got any tips or advice? I know there's a lot of data to upload, but at this rate my library will be synced in around 8888 hours, or 370 days!! I feel sorry for anyone who needs the larger storage packages!


A quick scan of the forums shows that a lot of people are experiencing this issue. Something is very very wrong.

iMac (24-inch Early 2009), OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)

Posted on May 6, 2015 10:21 AM

Reply
30 replies

May 7, 2015 2:59 AM in response to Stu_Males

Did a quick test this morning.


I uploaded a 400mb file to Dropbox and within Activity Monitor > Network my Data Sent maxes around 3-5mbs and it took around 2 minutes to transfer.


Starting Photos, with 10,671 photos remaining (that figure has been in place for the last 16 or so hours! From a 116gb library) the same Data Sent number bottoms out around 30-50kbs - and with nothing else running will often fall flat at 0-10kbs.


If this isn't an issue with Photos / iCloud then I don't know what else it could be!

May 7, 2015 6:10 PM in response to Stu_Males

There is no way to sign out of iCloud without having to re-upload everything????

I have the same problem! re-uploading 120gb on dsl Unacceptable!

I cannot buy faster internet at my house! believe me I have tried they all want 10 a gb for sat or cell witch would come to $2,500.00 per month. for 250gb

I had to sign out of iCloud and when I signed back in 1 min later it wants to re-upload! I'm screwed I give UP it killed my internet for a week and i had to go sit at Starbucks 60mbs up-down Google-Starbucks wifi for 6 hours! not doing it again.

There is no upload time calculator!

There is no pause for 2 hours option, so it restarts after i fall asleep watching Netflix !

There is no suggestion to remove videos

There is no explanation that it will convert each video as it gets to it and will NOT upload until that conversion is done! and it won't convert till upload is done!

There is no way to pre-convert video's so you could then go some where with fast upload!

There is no way to sign out of iCloud without having to re-upload everything

There is no explanation that it uploads the newest pictures and videos first and works backwards in time to oldest pic.

Its as if they don't even know what RSYNC is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why the jrgxf8onrg87cf would it re upload the exact same 120 gb????????

Unacceptable!!!!!!!!!!!! rqedy2tyjy3fjuv

May 10, 2015 9:35 AM in response to Stu_Males

Hi All,


I thought it only fair to post an update. It's finished! i made no changes to any settings, just let it go and do its thing.


So for 160GB of pics and vids, it took between 4 and 5 days. I can't decide if thats good or bad. I had to sacrifice Netflix and other streaming services (why these download services were affected though I don't quite understand), but now everything appears to be working.


I think it may be wise of Apple to let people know that uploading to iCloud Photo Library is likely to take a couple of days. At least then you know what you are letting yourself in for.


Good luck all!

May 10, 2015 9:44 AM in response to Stu_Males

Hi Stu_Males,


Thanks for that, that's good news! Mine is also nearly done, hurrah! It's taken over a week, and I gave up with my rubbish rural broadband in the end, but went to work, and plugged into the ethernet, leaving it updating each night when we didn't need it.


So far, that's the only work around that has worked for me, so if you live in a rural area, with very slow internet, you might want to see if you can do something similar!


Lucy

May 26, 2015 10:51 AM in response to Stu_Males

As someone on this thread suggested, I looked at my activity monitor, under network and found that photo was sending 0 bytes. I looked at what was above it and I paused dropbox, turned off dashlane password sync and forced quit a website that was a phantom of a website that I'd clicked on months age (a little worrisome). Immediately the cloudd began using up significantly more sent bytes - going from 30k to 275mb. The count on my photo library started going steadily down. At the rate I am at now, 100 in 10 minutes, the upload will still take awhile, but that helped a lot. I would suggest force quitting anything on that list that is using sent bytes that you aren't using.

May 26, 2015 10:57 AM in response to Suzanne Perkins1

It's simple if you saturate upload bandwidth nothing will download, most ISP's, modems work this way. 90% of traffic is downstream and most people just simply never noticed, Including the young bandwidth spoiled SF apple programer - testers!


My Issue is mainly is, why upload the same photo or movie twice????

I used rsync 15 years ago, it only syncs changed bits !!!! (with the right settings)

WHY would any sane person transfer 100's of gigs twice if the file already exsits on the other side??????????????


My file are all uploaded at iCloud.com but, every mac i connect to it with an identical set of photos, it wants to re-upload the exact same photos agin??

and you can't do anything until it does!

Photos hogs the entire upload bandwidth witch in turn kills downloads.

in photos preferences you can pause for a day, but there are no other more usefull options, like pause for an hour or until midnigh, or only use 60% of my maximum demonstrated bandwidth or limit upload to 1mbs..

And if God forbid you sign out of iCloud you are forced to reupload everything all over agin even though is already in the iCloud.com library aparenty it can't md5 or rsync for some mind boggling reason, so you then get to spend another week waiting to reupload unable to use internet because photos hogs it all.

Why isn't this page iPhone friendly????

yes I know most people have access to true broadband But about 20% of us don't . Cellular tethering is $10 gb, satellite has 50 gb cap, I have DSL and no options that would not cost $2000.00 plus a month

so having to reupload is very painful!!!!!!!

I used rsync 15 years ago, it only syncs changed bits !!!!

If apple wasn't so busy trying to justify its beats acquisition maybe they would've gotten photos right


There is no way to sign out of iCloud without having to re-upload everything????

I have the same problem! re-uploading 120gb on dsl Unacceptable!

I cannot buy faster internet at my house! believe me I have tried they all want $10 a gb for sat or cell witch would come to $2,500.00 per month. for 250gb

I had to sign out of iCloud and when I signed back in 1 min later it wants to re-upload! I'm screwed I give UP it killed my internet for a week and i had to go sit at Starbucks 60mbs up-down Google-Starbucks wifi for 6 hours! not doing it again.

There is no upload time calculator!

There is no pause for 2 hours option, so it restarts after i fall asleep watching Netflix !

There is no suggestion to remove videos

There is no explanation that it will convert each video as it gets to it and will NOT upload until that conversion is done! and it won't convert till upload is done!

There is no way to pre-convert video's so you could then go some where with fast upload!

There is no way to sign out of iCloud without having to re-upload everything

There is no explanation that it uploads the newest pictures and videos first and works backwards in time to oldest pic.

Its as if they don't even know what RSYNC is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why the jrgxf8onrg87cf would it re upload the exact same 120 gb????????

Unacceptable!!!!!!!!!!!! rqedy2tyjy3fjuv

Look I understand that photos converts videos before uploading and after this basically analog conversion the video MD5 hash's would not match, But that dosn't mean you can't tag the files in a meta tag so photos knows they were originally a match! , and then not reconvert it and re-upload it.

Dec 30, 2015 5:49 PM in response to Stu_Males

Mac (21.5-inch, Late 2013) Photos Ver 1.3

1.1 TB Fusion Drive

Download Speed 21.00 Mbps Upload speed 0.79 Mbps

Cable Company Internet


6,229 Photos and Videos


5.553 Photos and Videos Uploaded to iCloud after 3 or 4 Days.


I got Apple Support to call me after 3 or 4 days of dealing with this. I dowloaded a file. They took over my computer, got me to start up computer holding, cmd/option/P/R keys, press power button, checked iCloud settings, then checked iCloud, compared number of photos on IMAC to iCloud. All they could offer was, thats allot of photos.


Thanks Danielle at Apple.


They were more concerned with what I was doing than what was going on at there end. Once these photos have finished uploading, I'll be cancelling my extra storage, and looking for alternatives. No solution was suggested or offered.

Apr 17, 2016 8:22 AM in response to LarryHN

Just thought I'd add my 2 cents.


So I've decided to give iCloud Photo Library a go. So far I've wiped my photo albums I synced via iTunes and my phone is now uploading my camera roll. Approx 300 images and it's been stuck on 261 for well over 15 mins. Going to cancel it and just stick to uploading everything automatically to OneDrive or GDrive.


What an awful experience. I can see from looking around on Google that others have experienced the same if not worse so perhaps I should have done some research. Shame really as it sounded good in theory


See ya

Apr 17, 2016 8:32 AM in response to bthethy

Wow - gave it 15 minutes and threw it away


It is slow and patience is a virtue - 300 photos is small but still takes time - give it overnight and you should be fine - of throw it out - what ever you want - and not sure what yo=u are trying to accomplish but neither OneDrive nor GDrive are anything at all like iCloud Photo Library - a bit like saying it takes too long to take the bus to the Mall so I will drive to my sister's houses - totally different results


FWIW mine took ten days for 7000 items - a day for 300 is not over the top (15 min is not even close to reasonable)


LN

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iCloud photo library slow upload

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