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
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.
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