Savvy Granny
Level 1 (8 points)
Mac OS X

Q: If I delete photos on iPhone, will they also be deleted on my iMac?

If I delete photos on iPhone, will they also be deleted on my iMac?

iPhone 4S, iOS 9.2

Posted on Mar 1, 2016 5:28 PM

by gail from maine,Solvedanswer
gail from maine gail from maine
Level 7 (26,875 points)
iCloud
A:

Sorry, but backups have nothing to do with this. Where you back up your device has no affect on your photo archives.

 

If you are using iCloud Photo Library, your entire Photo Library lives in iCloud and is accessed from any device or computer that is signed into the same iCloud account that also has iCloud Photo Library turned on. Here are a couple of support articles that explain how iCloud Photo Library works:

 

iCloud Photo Library FAQ - Apple Support

 

iCloud Photo Library Help - Apple Support

 

 

If you do not use iCloud Photo Library, then you have to import your photos to your Computer in order to preserve them.

 

 

PHOTO IMPORT IOS TO MAC/PC

 

Backups on the other hand, make a copy of your device so that you can then use that backup to restore your device if you have issues and have to erase that device, or if you purchase a new device that you want to set up. Your Camera Roll is saved in a backup, but as you create new backups the older ones are deleted. If you were to remove or delete photos from your Camera Roll and then back up your device, the photos that were on the backup prior to the one you made after the deletions would eventually no longer be accessible, so those photos would be gone forever.

 

iCloud: iCloud backup overview

 

https://www.apple.com/support/iphone/backup/

 

 

Cheers,

 

GB

Posted on Mar 1, 2016 6:37 PM

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Savvy Granny

Q: If I delete photos on iPhone, will they also be deleted on my iMac?

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  • by Savvy Granny,

    Savvy Granny Savvy Granny Mar 1, 2016 8:03 PM in response to Savvy Granny
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 1, 2016 8:03 PM in response to Savvy Granny

    "Favorites" is an album in iPhone Photos that comes with the program.

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Mar 1, 2016 8:18 PM in response to Savvy Granny
    Level 7 (26,875 points)
    iCloud
    Mar 1, 2016 8:18 PM in response to Savvy Granny

    OK, so iOS 9 only refers to the phone. If you migrated to Photos on the Mac, then you are running either Yosemite or El Capitan.

     

    So, when you say you turned off iCloud in your settings, do you mean you turned off iCloud Photo Library? What about My Photo Stream and iCloud Photo Sharing? These are all separate and very different functions, and the way you have them set up informs how you would proceed and how things act.

     

    Based on what you have indicated, it sounds like you have iCloud Photo Library turned off (you wouldn't have a Camera Roll if it was turned on). So, in that case, your Camera Roll is your iPhone's Photo Library, and most albums (including Favorites, Selfies, Screenshots, etc.) are just pointing back to the original photo on the Camera Roll. So, if you delete a photo from the Camera Roll, it will also be deleted from the album.

     

    Here are the exceptions to that rule:

     

    Photo Stream is separate from your iPhone's Photo Library - it is a temporary stream that houses the last 30 days or 1000 photos that you have taken on your device. The primary purpose of the Photo Stream is to be able to share photos among devices that are signed on to the same iCloud account and that have Photo Stream turned on

     

    Albums that you have sync'd to your device from your Mac are also not part of your iPhone's "Photo Library", so you cannot delete them directly from the phone. If you sync them to the phone from your Mac, you have to remove them the same way

     

    You can turn on Photo Stream and iCloud Photo Sharing under Settings>iCloud and that will allow you to do several things:

     

    1.     When you have Photo Stream turned on on your device, and you are signed into the same iCloud account on your Mac, you can open the Photos app, and under Photos in the top menu bar, you will see the Preferences option. Click on Preferences, and under General, you will see an option under "Importing" to Copy Items to the Photos Library. If you check this option, then your Photo Stream photos (which are added to as you take photos) will be imported to your Photos library on your Mac automatically

     

    2.     When you have iCloud Photo Sharing turned on, you can select photos from your iPhone (or from your Mac) to send to other recipients in an album. This album will remain on iCloud until you remove it

     

    The Photo Library on your Mac is what you see in the Photos app under "Photos". Albums that you see listed under the Photos are just like they are on the phone - they are folders where pointers are set up that point back to the Photo Library. So, you can delete photos from the albums and they will not be deleted from your Photo Library, but if you delete a photo from the Photos section, that photo will also be deleted from any album since there won't be anything to point to anymore once it is deleted from the source.

     

    Take a look at the support links I posted to see if they clarify how you might want to use Photo Stream and Photo Sharing, and how you want to import your Camera Roll photos and videos to your Mac.

     

    Cheers,

     

    GB

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Mar 1, 2016 8:19 PM in response to Savvy Granny
    Level 7 (26,875 points)
    iCloud
    Mar 1, 2016 8:19 PM in response to Savvy Granny

    Yeah - sorry - just created one. I don't use the heart thingy, so didn't have a Favorites album showing until I put it on one of my Camera Roll photos....

     

    GB

  • by Savvy Granny,

    Savvy Granny Savvy Granny Mar 1, 2016 8:20 PM in response to gail from maine
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 1, 2016 8:20 PM in response to gail from maine

    Glad I could help!  ;-)

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Mar 1, 2016 8:20 PM in response to Savvy Granny
    Level 7 (26,875 points)
    iCloud
    Mar 1, 2016 8:20 PM in response to Savvy Granny

    Savvy Granny wrote:

     

    I went over to the new Photos on my iMac when it first came out.

    Both iPhone and Mac are OS 9.

    I turned off iCloud in my settings a while ago, but when I delete photos from Camera Roll on my iPhone which i have "Favorited," they also vanish in Favorites.

     

    And again, they would be removed from any album they are in if you delete them from the Camera Roll since that is the Photo Library that those albums point to.

     

    Cheers,

     

    GB

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Mar 1, 2016 8:21 PM in response to Savvy Granny
    Level 7 (26,875 points)
    iCloud
    Mar 1, 2016 8:21 PM in response to Savvy Granny

    Savvy Granny wrote:

     

    Glad I could help!  ;-)

     

     

    GB

  • by Savvy Granny,

    Savvy Granny Savvy Granny Mar 1, 2016 8:22 PM in response to gail from maine
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 1, 2016 8:22 PM in response to gail from maine

    Oy, now I'm really confused. So I have the same problem even with iCloud turned off: a Favorited photo will also be deleted if I delete it from the Camera Roll?

  • by Savvy Granny,

    Savvy Granny Savvy Granny Mar 1, 2016 8:27 PM in response to gail from maine
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 1, 2016 8:27 PM in response to gail from maine

    I just saw this post. Thank you for the clear explanation. Yes, my iMac uses El Capitan. I still have the question about whether deleting a photo from my iPhone Camera Roll will also delete it from Photos on my Mac.

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Mar 1, 2016 8:35 PM in response to Savvy Granny
    Level 7 (26,875 points)
    iCloud
    Mar 1, 2016 8:35 PM in response to Savvy Granny

    No it will not have any effect on your Mac's Photo Library. You basically have a Photo Library on your phone (Camera Roll), and a Photo Library on your Mac (Photos), and since you are not using iCloud Photo Library, they are completely independent of one another.

     

    Cheers,

     

    GB

  • by Savvy Granny,

    Savvy Granny Savvy Granny Mar 1, 2016 8:31 PM in response to gail from maine
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 1, 2016 8:31 PM in response to gail from maine

    You're the best! Now I get it! Thank you for being so patient and generous with your time. Is there a way to give you some props?

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Mar 1, 2016 8:34 PM in response to Savvy Granny
    Level 7 (26,875 points)
    iCloud
    Mar 1, 2016 8:34 PM in response to Savvy Granny

    You are most welcome! Glad that was helpful And no need to do any more than you have already! Your "thanks" is props enough!

     

    Cheers,

     

    GB

  • by Savvy Granny,

    Savvy Granny Savvy Granny Mar 1, 2016 8:35 PM in response to gail from maine
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 1, 2016 8:35 PM in response to gail from maine

    Well, I'm now following you, whatever that means!

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Mar 1, 2016 8:40 PM in response to Savvy Granny
    Level 7 (26,875 points)
    iCloud
    Mar 1, 2016 8:40 PM in response to Savvy Granny

    Hahahaha!!! Well, if you find out, please let me know too

     

    GB

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Mar 2, 2016 5:29 PM in response to gail from maine
    Level 7 (26,875 points)
    iCloud
    Mar 2, 2016 5:29 PM in response to gail from maine

    One correction to the post that I have copied below:

     

    gail from maine wrote:

     

     

    Your Camera Roll is your iPhone's Photo Library, and most albums (including Favorites, Selfies, Screenshots, etc.) are just pointing back to the original photo on the Camera Roll. So, if you delete a photo from the Camera Roll, it will also be deleted from the album.

     

    Here are the exceptions to that rule:

     

    Photo Stream is separate from your iPhone's Photo Library - it is a temporary stream that houses the last 30 days or 1000 photos that you have taken on your device. The primary purpose of the Photo Stream is to be able to share photos among devices that are signed on to the same iCloud account and that have Photo Stream turned on. With iOS 9, if you delete a photo in your Camera Roll that is also in the Photo Stream, it will delete that photo from the Photo Stream as well. This is new with iOS 9. Previously, you were required to delete the photo from both places.

     

    Just wanted to make sure that I clarified this. I just found out about this new feature today!

     

    Cheers,

     

    GB

  • by Savvy Granny,

    Savvy Granny Savvy Granny Mar 3, 2016 3:23 PM in response to gail from maine
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 3, 2016 3:23 PM in response to gail from maine

    Thank you for this reply.This raises another question for me, though. Does this deleting function apply if I have iCloud turned off? How can I clear space in my iPhone photos without deleting them everywhere?

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