Deleting photos from iPhone but not iCloud

Dear Texas_Man_Luvs_His_mac,

It's very helpful to know that the software design is flawed instead of your (our) logic. Making it impossible to manage our own pictures is definitely a design flaw. I wonder how many hours are spent at the Genius Bar with this particular design problem? It's unfortunate that some as-yet-to-surface third party application will be necessary to overcome the mandated shortcomings of this iCloud-->Mac-->iPad-->iPhone problems. If I delete a program (application) off of my phone, why don't you also delete it from my iPad? I was just trying to save some space like I want with my pictures. I have pictures of funerals, weddings, etc. on my phone that could very well comfortably reside on my macbookpro but I can't because they'd be deleted! How rude of the apple software engineers or someone in planning that spearheaded this travesty of a design faux pas.

Wes

The ticked off design engineer who knows that this is done in the worst way possible! It's now so messy, it's as easy to back out of as fixing USA Healthcare.

Making it impossible to manage our own pictures is definitely a design flaw.

This is why input like this is not helpful or constructive. Hyperbole does nothing to strengthen your position.

If you said difficult, challenging, even non-sensical, you wouldn't be wrong and would be encouraged to offer Apple your opinion.

I have pictures of funerals, weddings, etc. on my phone that could very well comfortably reside on my macbookpro but I can't because they'd be deleted!

Only if you have your iCloud Photo library configured that way. There are other options that don't require syncing.

Millions of Apple users manage content separately on their various devices. At no point are you required to use only iCloud Photo Library for your photos. You can easily have photos on your Mac that do not sync with your phone, so are not at risk for being deleted when pruning your phone's photo library.

iCloud's primary design feature is convenience and access.

You have a point. And it's not actually "impossible." Please forgive my hyperbole as I've recently lost some extremely valuable (to me) photos and my friends have as well due to this process. Managing resources is certainly a challenge but with music, apps, and documents this is not a problem... Only pictures.

Managing resources is certainly a challenge but with music, apps, and documents this is not a problem... Only pictures.

This is because Apple hosts your apps and music purchases on your behalf, in their system and know how it works. There is no dependency on the end user to know or care "where they are".

Photos are entirely the end user's responsibility. They are yours and you must be fully aware of how the iCloud Photo Library works. You must RTFM. Read the fancy manual. And yes, there is one.

Many conversations here have a common theme... "I just assumed...", "so naturally I thought... ", "Dropbox does it, why doesn't iCloud...?" and my favorite, "iCloud should..."

You see my point.

Nobody seems to test things. They make these ill advised assumptions about iCloud, act on them and come here to moan about losing data.

A common scenario is this... "I need space on my phone. I delete a bunch of photos, because they're in iCloud. I don't get any space back. Hmmm. I consult Google, where all the truth in the world is stored and find I have to also delete photos from the recently deleted album. So I do that. Stupid Apple. Now I have space on my phone. What happened to my photos on iCloud?"

The software is not flawed. The world has sadly embraced the 140 character and TL;DR mindsets.

Anybody who thinks having such precious memories as you have described, stored only on their phone plus a syncing system they don't understand is destined to be hurt.

Cloud based storage, despite any marketing to the contrary, is not magic.

It may have been blunt but I don't think rude. We're volunteers here in the ASC to help other users with problems they are having with these applications. We don't have the time nor inclination to wade thru many paragraphs of rantings and ravings to try to get to the crux for the problem.

Suggest to Apple - https://www.apple.com/feedback/photos.html

And they do supply a simple solution to that - it is called TimeMachine - a good current backup(or better yet two) is the only solution to not losing data

And as to the rest of your rambling lost - it really makes no sense - nothing in this thread indicates anything except user error - and no one, not even Apple, can stop user error - unfortunately ugly is skin deep but stupid goes all the way to the bone

LN

actually it should (AND DOES) preform exactly as documented - if you do not want a single library shared among all devices with all changes being applied to all devices then you should not be using iCloud Photo Library since that is what it does - You post is like buying a standard transmission car and them complaining that it should automatically shift gears -

You should choose software that operates like you want rather than choose software that does not operate like you wan and then expect millions of users to live with you choice rather than the choice they made - that attitude is more than a bit arrogant as is claiming that only you know how all software "should" work

You certainly can request this form Apple - https://www.apple.com/feedback/photos.html - but IMHO the chances a zero since that tis exactly the opposite of the purpose of iCloud Photo library and there are many other ways to accomplish it without screwing up lots of people - you can use iTunes sync, MyPhotoStream or direct import with Image Capture and not have any linkage between photos on different devices -

LN

Please explain what is more intuitive and elegant than a single library shared among all devices with all devices seeing exactly the same thing - any other choice is less intuitive and certainly much less elegant

and again

You certainly can request this from Apple - https://www.apple.com/feedback/photos.html - but IMHO the chances a zero since that tis exactly the opposite of the purpose of iCloud Photo library and there are many other ways to accomplish it without screwing up lots of people - you can use iTunes sync, MyPhotoStream or direct import with Image Capture and not have any linkage between photos on different devices -

and as to understanding how to use the software you choose to use - that is most certainly your responsibility not anyone elses

LN

Yes - you should always learn how to use any new thing you start using - if you do not you will wreak your new car, break your new TV and misuse your new software

you need to restore your backup on the Mac from before you made this error

and read software burbs at least - reading details would be even better

https://www.apple.com/icloud/photos/

Opening paragrash

iCloud Photo Library stores every photo and video you take, and keeps them up to date on all your devices. Any edits you make are automatically updated everywhere. iCloud Photo Sharing makes it easy to share photos and videos with exactly the people you want to see them. Create a shared album and invite friends and family to add their photos and video clips as often as they want.

LN

Sorry - no one informed me that you were the final expert who decides who should talk and what they should say and what all software should be

stuff in the "cloud" should stay in the "cloud," regardless of what you do on your devices,

what ever - it does not work that way at all - in fact as advertises and documented the cloud is your library and all changes made to it by any device are reflected io all devices - even the you know what "should" be what Apple implemented is what most people want and is optional so you can choose to use it or not - but in no case is there any reason for you to attack people w=for explaining how things actually work even though you are so smart that you know how it "should" work

but then again even though you now everything you do not even understand the purpose of this forum - it is not to RANT. to attack people as you are doing or to tell Apple how to run their business - it is only for experienced users to help inexperienced users use the software the way it is - and unless inexperienced users state fats and clearly explain their problem then it is impossible to help them so it is actually important for them to clearly and concisely explain their problem and rambling RANTS hurt that process

Have a great day and go out and share your amazing intelligence about everythitn with the rest of the rworld - it is not needed here

LN

I had to change my way of thinking about ICloud. I originally thought it was a storage app - a secure box to permanently hold all things placed there for safe keeping. That is not the case. It's a temporary holding spot for the purpose of updating and redistributing information to all the devices of the owner/administrator.

I set up Dropbox to hold my photos and videos independent from what remains in my iPhone storage. I can delete photos from my phone knowing the originals are safely held in Dropbox.

So, use Dropbox or any number of long-term storage sites and start managing your precious photos, data and phone storage space with confidence.

. . . and BTW, people who want to improve their expertise by publicly seeking advice are demonstrating strong self-esteem. Life-long learners are typically confident, generous and fun to be around.

I don't know if you've figured this out but there is now a "remove from All Synced Photographs " option in Lightroom desktop (2015.8 release). Right click on a photo or a selection of photos in the "All Synced Photographs catalog. It allows you to clear out space on Lightroom mobile by deleting the photos on your phone while retaining a copy in your "All Photographs " Catalog.

I'm surprised to learn that we have to leave the Apple eco-system to obtain this capability. Every iPhone user has the same, exact problem—how to delete the photos stored on the mobile device's local storage, yet leave it "archived" in iCloud Drive. I understand that iCloud Drive/iCloud Photos Libraries are designed as a multi-device sharing portal, and not a back-up or archival service, per se. Yet, literally every iPhone user has this exact same need: Being able to delete images from local storage, yet retain "archival" copies "somewhere," (preferably, Apple's "somewhere," rather than Dropbox, Microsoft's OneDrive or some other non-Apple provider). Has Apple not supplied an Apple-branded solution to this universal customer requirement yet?

I have no need at all to use my synchronization system as a backup. I have a real backup so am spared this dilemma.

So much for "Yet, literally every iPhone user has this exact same need", You are just wrong.

If you want the facilities offered by OneDrive you can use OneDrive, or one of many other alternatives.

Okay, everyone but you then. Most iPhone users fill up their local storage and would like a simple archival solution (this includes every person I know with an iPhone). Most casual users don't have a "real" back-up solution or the technical expertise to set-up a home-based NAS. Subscribing to an outside storage provider adds both cost and complexity. I'm sure most would prefer Apple provide a solution so they don't have to resort to Microsoft.