dailyjetplane
Level 1 (3 points)

Q: Photos keeps asking me to import the same photos from iPhone

I'm having a problem where the Photos application keeps asking me to import old items as if they are new.

 

Here are the steps I'm taking:

  • When I connect my iPhone 6 to my MacBook Pro, the Photos application launches and shows that I have 6 new items to import (3 photos and 3 videos).
  • These photos and videos are already in my iCloud library and available in Photos on my MacBook.
  • I go ahead and click "Import All New Items" in hopes that it will stop prompting me.
  • The photos and videos are imported without error and now duplicated in Photos on my MacBook.
  • If I then unplug and reconnect my iPhone, it will now show that I have 9 items to import!  The original 3 photos now appear twice plus the original 3 videos.

 

How can I get Photos to stop asking me to import these same photos and videos over again?

 

These are the relevant settings on my iPhone:

  • iCloud Photo Library (ON)
  • Optimize iPhone Storage (Checked)
  • Upload to My Photo Stream (ON)
  • iCloud Photo Sharing (ON)

 

These are the settings in Photos:

  • Importing: Copy items to the Photos library (Checked)
  • iCloud Photo Library (Checked)
  • Download Originals to this Mac (Selected)
  • My Photo Stream (Checked)
  • iCloud Photo Sharing (Checked)

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014), OS X Yosemite (10.10.4)

Posted on Jul 9, 2015 6:25 AM

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dailyjetplane

Q: Photos keeps asking me to import the same photos from iPhone

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  • Helpful answers

  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN Jul 9, 2015 6:43 AM in response to dailyjetplane
    Level 10 (84,852 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jul 9, 2015 6:43 AM in response to dailyjetplane

    What is the purpose of connecting the phone to the Mac?  One thing you can do is while it is connected and Photos is running uncheck the box near the top left to open iPhoto when this device is connected

     

    LN

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Jul 9, 2015 6:35 AM in response to dailyjetplane
    Level 10 (107,615 points)
    iCloud
    Jul 9, 2015 6:35 AM in response to dailyjetplane

    The import panel will show the photos that have been downloaded from iCloud to your iPhone as new photos. The optimized versions differ from the photos in your library.  Just don't import from the iPhone, if you are using iCloud Photo Library on your mac and your iPhone.  All photos will already be on your Mac transferred by iCloud.  What the Import panel is showing you is confusing and not useful.

     

    Send feedback to Apple that this needs fixing.  Apple - Photos - Feedback

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Jul 9, 2015 6:38 AM in response to LarryHN
    Level 10 (107,615 points)
    iCloud
    Jul 9, 2015 6:38 AM in response to LarryHN
    What is the purpose of connecting the phone to the Mac?

    Sometimes we need to import using USB, if we are away from the network for a long time, and want to transfer photos from the iPhone to the Mac.

  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN Jul 9, 2015 6:45 AM in response to léonie
    Level 10 (84,852 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jul 9, 2015 6:45 AM in response to léonie
    I have 6 new items to import (3 photos and 3 videos).
    Sometimes we need to import using USB, if we are away from the network for a long time, and want to transfer photos from the iPhone to the Mac.

    ???

     

    LN

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Jul 9, 2015 6:58 AM in response to LarryHN
    Level 10 (107,615 points)
    iCloud
    Jul 9, 2015 6:58 AM in response to LarryHN
    ???

      That was just to name a reason why we may need to mix importing by USB with importing from iCloud Photo Library. It is inconvenient, that we cannot tell from the information in the Import panel which photos have already been imported from iCloud and which are really new and have not yet been imported. Stopping Photos from launching automatically will not help to identify the really new photos.  It will only help if we connect the iPhone to USB for other reasons, to sync with iTunes.

  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN Jul 9, 2015 7:19 AM in response to léonie
    Level 10 (84,852 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jul 9, 2015 7:19 AM in response to léonie

    I agree on principle - but for this case that does not seem to be the case

     

    with no information I see either not connecting via USB or telling Photos not to one for the phone is a solution

     

    Maybe not but my best Guess given what info is available

     

    LN

  • by BobCassidy,

    BobCassidy BobCassidy Sep 3, 2015 9:01 AM in response to dailyjetplane
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 3, 2015 9:01 AM in response to dailyjetplane

    I'm having this same problem all of a sudden. Sure would be nice to have a fix.

  • by wealthychef,

    wealthychef wealthychef Dec 29, 2015 6:41 PM in response to BobCassidy
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Dec 29, 2015 6:41 PM in response to BobCassidy

    I've been having this problem too.  Maybe it's because iCloud photos and USB syncing are not supposed to be used together?  Very frustrating. 

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Dec 30, 2015 2:54 AM in response to wealthychef
    Level 10 (107,615 points)
    iCloud
    Dec 30, 2015 2:54 AM in response to wealthychef

    Maybe it's because iCloud photos and USB syncing are not supposed to be used together?  Very frustrating.

    I only use USB syncing when I am traveling and WI-Fi is not available. And then I ignore any older photos that are shown as new in the Import panel.  After all, I know there cannot or should not  be older photos needing importing, since iCloud Photo Library is keeping the libraries in sync.

  • by clawsda,

    clawsda clawsda Jul 16, 2016 8:18 AM in response to dailyjetplane
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Jul 16, 2016 8:18 AM in response to dailyjetplane

    I have this problem and find it extremely annoying as a new member to the "iCloud" family.  Why don't they just add a "show duplicates" button so you can easily delete the multiple copies??  Problem "solved" sort of.

  • by jollypants,

    jollypants jollypants Sep 22, 2016 12:47 PM in response to LarryHN
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Sep 22, 2016 12:47 PM in response to LarryHN

    to charge a phone perhaps