ClaudetteLaPlante
Level 1 (4 points)
iCloud

Q: Photostream not syncing all photos

Hello there. I have an iPhone 5C that's fully updated to the latest version of iOS (9.3) and the issue I'm having has to do with the photostream feature on my phone. I enabled Photostream in the iCloud settings on my phone. While that part worked fine, for some reason, I am only seeing 275 of the most recent pictures I've taken. I have over 1,000 pictures on my phone, but only 275 of them are being saved in Photostream. I previously thought that this was an issue with iCloud for Windows, but after repairing the program, disabling/enabling it multiple times and doing the same thing on the phone, it still does not download more than 275 pictures.

 

Where I live, I have a stable WiFi connection, as the router sits about 5 feet away from my chair, where I was working on this. The WiFi works fine, because when I go on the internet on the laptop, I don't have any issues.

 

When we first noticed this issue, the phone was running iOS 9.0, and that's when I decided to try updating it to see if that would resolve the issue. It did not.

 

The laptop that I'm using is running Windows 7, which has been updated. Everything is good to go, it's just that on the phone, Photostream will not process more than 275 of the most recent photos. The phone has lots of space available, so that can't be the reason why. I had it plugged into the charger while this was going on.

iPhone 5c, iOS 9.3.1, Windows 7 HP laptop that is updated

Posted on Apr 5, 2016 11:39 PM

by léonie,Apple recommended
léonie léonie
Level 10 (107,629 points)
iCloud
A:

When did you take the or import the photos on your iPhone?  My Photo Stream can hold up to 1000 photo in iCloud, but iCloud will only hold the photos that have been added during the last month. The photos that have been taken on your iPhone more than a month ago may no longer be in iCloud and so will not show in my Photo Stream.

See:  Get help using My Photo Stream - Apple Support

 

 

I see different photos in the My Photo Stream album on each of my devices

Your device will keep up to 1,000 photos, even if they're older than 30 days. Photos older than 30 days are removed from the iCloud server, so depending on when you enabled My Photo Stream, your devices might not have the same photos. Due to capacity, your Apple TV might display only your most recent photos.

Posted on Apr 6, 2016 12:11 AM

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ClaudetteLaPlante

Q: Photostream not syncing all photos

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  • Helpful answers

  • by léonie,Apple recommended

    léonie léonie Apr 6, 2016 12:11 AM in response to ClaudetteLaPlante
    Level 10 (107,629 points)
    iCloud
    Apr 6, 2016 12:11 AM in response to ClaudetteLaPlante

    When did you take the or import the photos on your iPhone?  My Photo Stream can hold up to 1000 photo in iCloud, but iCloud will only hold the photos that have been added during the last month. The photos that have been taken on your iPhone more than a month ago may no longer be in iCloud and so will not show in my Photo Stream.

    See:  Get help using My Photo Stream - Apple Support

     

     

    I see different photos in the My Photo Stream album on each of my devices

    Your device will keep up to 1,000 photos, even if they're older than 30 days. Photos older than 30 days are removed from the iCloud server, so depending on when you enabled My Photo Stream, your devices might not have the same photos. Due to capacity, your Apple TV might display only your most recent photos.

  • by ClaudetteLaPlante,

    ClaudetteLaPlante ClaudetteLaPlante Apr 6, 2016 3:26 PM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iCloud
    Apr 6, 2016 3:26 PM in response to léonie

    The rest of the photos are still on the phone itself, and I also have iCloud Photo Library enabled, but when I enabled Photostream on the phone, it would only download 275 photos on the phone and on the PC.

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Apr 6, 2016 3:33 PM in response to ClaudetteLaPlante
    Level 10 (107,629 points)
    iCloud
    Apr 6, 2016 3:33 PM in response to ClaudetteLaPlante

    ClaudetteLaPlante wrote:

     

    The rest of the photos are still on the phone itself, and I also have iCloud Photo Library enabled, but when I enabled Photostream on the phone, it would only download 275 photos on the phone and on the PC.

    That is to be expected - only photo that have been taken during the last 30 days or imported to your iPhone during the last 30 days will still be in My Photo Stream in iCloud. And only photos still in iCloud will be streamed to your devices, when you turn on My Photo Stream on a device.  My Photo Stream is only showing a running collection of the most recent photos added - no photos older than 30 days and at most 1000 photos.

  • by ClaudetteLaPlante,

    ClaudetteLaPlante ClaudetteLaPlante Apr 6, 2016 3:39 PM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iCloud
    Apr 6, 2016 3:39 PM in response to léonie

    It looks like I have to switch from the Photostream feature to iCloud Photo Library, as that feature backs up all photos and videos from my iPhone to iCloud, which can then be accessed on my PC whenever I want to see them. Photostream seems to be limited to only recent photos that were taken.

     

    This is the new feature widely available since the release of Photos. In short, what iCloud Photo Library does is allow users to have all of their photos on the cloud via their iCloud account.

     

    Source: http://www.guidingtech.com/42658/photos-vs-iphoto-photo-stream-vs-icloud-photo-l ibrary-differences-explained/

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Apr 7, 2016 2:19 AM in response to ClaudetteLaPlante
    Level 10 (107,629 points)
    iCloud
    Apr 7, 2016 2:19 AM in response to ClaudetteLaPlante

    If you want to store all your photos in iCloud you need iCloud Photo Library, yes.  But it is not free, only 5GB of data are free. You will need to subscribe to a paid data plan.  See:  iCloud Photo Library FAQ

     

    My Photo Stream is for transferring photos between devices, iCloud Photo Library will store your photos in iCloud as a central storage and and keep the photo libraries identical on all devices that will sync with iCloud Photo Library. But it is not a backup. To have a copy of your photos to keep them safe you still need to create a backup of them on an external drive.

     

    Before you switch to iCloud Photo Library on your iPhone, you have to decide between two modes how to do it.  You can use "Optimize Storage" or "Download and Keep Originals"

     

    Turn on iCloud Photo Library. Go to Settings > iCloud > Photos, or Settings > Photos & Camera.

    Optimize your storage or keep all your photos and videos in full-resolution on iPhone. If your iCloud storage plan is over 5 GB, Optimize iPhone Storage is on by default. It manages space on your iPhone by automatically keeping your full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud and lightweight versions on your iPhone, as needed. To keep the full-resolution originals on your iPhone, go to Settings > iCloud > Photos, then tap Download and Keep Originals. Your originals are always stored in iCloud.

    This is a hard decision depending on the available storage on your iPhone.: 

    • If you want to store more photos in iCloud than will fit on your iPhone, use "Optimize Storage".  The drawback is, you will only be able to enlarge, edit, or share your photos if you have an internet connection, and it can be painfully slow to wait for the photos to download. On an iPad with a Retina display it is horrible to be seeing only blurred versions while waiting and waiting for the photos to download again.
    • If you have more free storage on your iPhone than you need for the photos, go for "Download and Keep Originals". You will always be able to access all photos immediately and do not need an internet connection.