I Just upgraded my 16GB iPad mini to iOS 9 after cleaning out old photos so there would be enough memory for the upgrade. I have about 200 photos sync'd with my MacBook. Why does iOS delete these if I turn on iCloud Photo Library?
iPad Mini, iOS 9.3.1
I don't think Apple has ever stated "why" and speculation is against the terms of use of this forum. The following however is a method of dealing with it. The information is from Get help with your iCloud Photo Library - Apple Support
iCloud Photo Library doesn't upload photos and videos you copy to your device from iTunes. To upload the original versions, follow the steps below.
OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 or later
To upload original versions of your Mac library, click Photos > Preferences and turn on iCloud Photo Library.
You can also use AirDrop to copy the photos from your computer to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:
- Make sure that you're signed in with the same Apple ID on your computer and iOS device.
- Unlock your iOS device and turn on AirDrop.
- Open a new Finder window on your Mac and choose AirDrop in the sidebar.
- Drag the photos to the icon for the iOS device in the Finder window.
OS X Mavericks and earlier or Windows
You can upload JPEG photos using the Photos app on iCloud.com:
- Sign in to iCloud.com with the same Apple ID you use for iCloud Photo Library.
- Click iCloud Photo Library.
- Click Upload.
- Select the photos you want to upload.
- Click OK.
I interpret your answer to mean that the 200 or so sync'd photos in question will be "deleted" from the iCloud Photo Library, but will thpose photos remain on my iPad camera roll after I turn on iCloud Photo Library or will they be deleted from there as well? Also, am I correct in assuming that the original photos on my Mac will remain intact there? Of note, I haven't upgraded my Mac from Mavericks as yet.
I'm not sure I understand.
The synced photos wouldn't be deleted from iCloud Photo Library because they were never in iCloud Photo Library -- unless you placed them there in some other way before you turned on iCloud Photo Library on your iPad.
If you have iTunes synced photos on your iPad they will be deleted from your iPad if you turn on iCloud Photo Library on the iPad -- they won't be anywhere on your iPad or in iCloud Photo Library.
They will still be on your Mac. You can use the steps in "OS X Mavericks or earlier and Windows" in my earlier reply to upload them from your Mac directly to iCloud Photo Library and they will then automatically sync back to your iPad.
To summarize:
1) Turn on iCloud Photo Library on the iPad -- that will delete the iTunes synced photos and will upload a copy of all other photos to iCloud.
2) Manually upload the iTunes synced photos (and any others you want to) from your Mac to iCloud and they will sync back to your iPad.
Nothing will have changed on your Mac and all of the photos that you previously had on the iPad will now be on the iPad.
Sync'd photos deleted when I turn on iCloud Photo Library?
