Issues with upgrading to iCloud Photo Library. Please Help.

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Level 1

20 points

Issues with upgrading to iCloud Photo Library. Please Help.

Hi,

I decided to upgrade to iCloud Photo Library. I have an iMac, MacBook Pro, an iPhone, and an iPad. Here's what I've done, but it's taking an eternity and I think I did something wrong. Macs are Yosemite and iPad/iPhone are OS 8.3

1. Turned on iCloud Photo Library in Photos on the iMac. Left it with "optimize". Photo Stream is on, as that is what I used, as is the iCloud Photo Sharing. It has been 'uploading' for nearly 12 hours and still going.

2. I did the same thing for iCloud Photo Library in Photos on the MacBook Pro. It also was uploading forever, so I paused it, thinking I'm duplicating things. Am I? Is this an issue?

3. iPhone: Turned iCloud Photo Library on. Optimize. Photo Stream is on, as is iCloud Photo Sharing.

4. iPad: I TRIED to also turn it on on my iPad, but couldn't. When I check the iCloud account on the iPad, it is myname@mac.com WHEREAS the iCloud account on my iPad is myname@me.com AND though both photos aside the accounts are me, they are different photos! I have a feeling this is because the iPad is older and that there was a transition on Apple from .mac to .me. Also, if I try to sign out of iCloud on the iPad....thinking I could sign in with the other .me account....I get a warning that "all Photo Stream photos and Documents and Data" will be removed from iCloud.

5. FYI, I have had no issues with Photo Stream on all 4 devices until a couple of weeks ago, but I was 'off line' and upgrading our wifi network and attributed it to that.

6. As an aside, do you turn off Photo Stream if you move to iCloud Library AND do I have to change my settings when I connect the iPad and iPhone to my iMac to back up (which I haven't done in a couple of months and sadly usually forget to do so).

Please help and thanks.

Posted on Jul 31, 2015 8:30 AM

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Answer 1

Jul 31, 2015 8:47 AM in response to Sandie Cohen

1 - 3. The initial sync can take a long time, I wouldn't worry about it at this stage. Mine took a few weeks and I was only syncing a library on one Mac.

4. It's a little hard to understand what you are saying, but both mac and me should be fine providing the 'byname' part is identical. Are you sure they aren't just different photos because the sync hasn't yet finished.

6. You can keep photo stream on with iCloud photos but it may not be necessary, I'd keep it on if you have an Apple TV.

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Answer 2

Sandie Cohen Author

Level 1

20 points

Jul 31, 2015 9:08 AM in response to Winston Churchill

4. The 'byname' part is identical. I bought more storage last night and both now say "Storage 183GB Available". When I click Storage on my iPhone, it lists "Total Storage 200GB, Available 183GB". BUT, on the iPad, it says "Total Storage 0 bytes, Available 3.6 GB".

If I try to turn on "iCloud Photo Library", it says, "Photos Synced from iTunes will be removed" (10,527 photos will be removed). Should I click that??????

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Answer 3

Jul 31, 2015 9:13 AM in response to Sandie Cohen

both now say "Storage 183GB Available"....... BUT, on the iPad, it says "Total Storage 0 bytes, Available 3.6 GB".

I misunderstand you, but rather sounds contradictory.

If you have previously been syncing photos manually from iTunes, then yes all these photos will be removed from your phone before the iCloud photo library is downloaded.

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Answer 4

Sandie Cohen Author

Level 1

20 points

Jul 31, 2015 9:20 AM in response to Winston Churchill

That is what it says. Sounds contradictory to me, too.

In any event, I clicked 'remove the photos' and it did turn the iCloud Photo Library on. BUT, I also just double checked the available storage, and it as before, Total storage 0 and Available 3.6GB. Bizarre. AND, when I open Photos on the iPad, all the photos are still there. I'm so confused......

Thanks, by the way, for your rapid replies and assistance. Much appreciated.

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Answer 5

Sandie Cohen Author

Level 1

20 points

Jul 31, 2015 9:34 AM in response to Winston Churchill

Update.....it does appear that the photos are slowly being deleted on the iPad. Can I then assume that this is 'working', despite the discrepancy in the storage at this time and the different photo? Or, do you think I've some other issue with things not syncing properly?

Also, three other quick questions:

1. If I pause the uploading of photos from the iMac and MacBookPro, is that an issue? I wanted to actually work on my wifi networking this weekend and that involves shutting off the wifi at times. Will it screw things up with the iCloud Photo Library workings?

2. Also, you said that when you did this, the uploading of the photos took quite some time. What happens if you shut the computer down and the upload hasn't been completed yet? We leave on vacation next week and I want to shut it all down.

3. Am I duplicating photos by uploading from the iMac and the MacBookPro at the same time?

Again, thanks.

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Answer 6

Jul 31, 2015 10:00 AM in response to Sandie Cohen

Pausing should have no adverse effects.

Shutting down should be fine too. It may check things over again but shouldn't result in downloading photos that have already been downloaded being downloaded again.

You shouldn't get duplicates.

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Answer 7

Sandie Cohen Author

Level 1

20 points

Jul 31, 2015 3:47 PM in response to Winston Churchill

Hello again, Sir Winston ;-)

Thank YOU for all your attention and replies....and sorry for not getting back to you until now.

All seems to be moving along, however slowly. My iMac and MBP each had 10K photos (they were synced, so the same, I suppose), and each one has only downloaded 1k photos in a day!!! So, with that progress, we're looking at a good week and a half until they're done uploading. Yikes.

The iPad purged the photos it had. Then, it apparently uploaded photos from 2013 until the present, despite the fact that I have photos (on the iMac and MBP) dating back to 2010. I'm guessing that those that are missing will propagate once the iMac and MBP are done. YES?????

Also, the iPad still has .mac with a different photo AND the storage still reads as follows. Might this be because I have a few full-length movies on the iPad?: "Storage 183GB Available"....... BUT, on the iPad, it says "Total Storage 0 bytes, Available 3.6 GB".

Many thanks.

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