When exactly does iCloud photos upload?

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Level 2

308 points

When exactly does iCloud photos upload?

I checked this: iCloud Photo Library FAQ - Apple Support. But it is somewhat vague. It states: "your photos and videos will upload after you connect to the Internet with Wi-Fi and your battery is charged." So,

1. Will my laptop upload only while connected to the power outlet, or also while running on battery? (what does "charged" mean?)

2. I assume it will not upload while asleep? So, I put energy saver to never put the laptop to sleep while connected to power.

Anyway, that upload is going to take some time. I have 23,000 pictures, and it uploads less than a thousand per day. At least it doesn't really affect my internet speed for other devices in any noticeable way.

Posted on Jul 22, 2015 10:03 AM

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Answer 1

Eric Root

Level 10

684,039 points

Jul 23, 2015 4:28 PM in response to ahostmadsen

I'd leave the computer plugged in and set not to sleep. That many photos will take a long, long time to upload and you don't want to interrupt the process.

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Answer 2

ahostmadsen Author

Level 2

308 points

Jul 27, 2015 9:43 AM in response to Eric Root

It seems to me that it uploads even when asleep (but plugged in), but I'm not sure. I'm leaving it on not go to sleep to make sure.

I estimate that it will take a month to upload the pictures! Frustrating, but of course, that's not's Apple's fault, but a feature of ADSL asymmetry. But meanwhile photos does not do anything else. It does not download pictures from my iPhone, and when I add new content, it's not uploaded. It seems new content is put at the back of the upload queue. Here Apple could perhaps have made it a little more flexible, prioritizing upload and download of recent content. But of course, at Apple when they test they have gigabit upload speeds so they don't quite experience the frustration of a monthlong upload process.

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Answer 3

ahostmadsen Author

Level 2

308 points

Aug 8, 2015 1:34 PM in response to ahostmadsen

It seems my assumptions were wrong. First, I'm fairly sure it also uploads while on battery. Second, and here I'm a little less sure, it also seems to upload while asleep, at least when connected to power.

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