HT204264: iCloud Photo Library
Learn about iCloud Photo Library
Q: Can I delete backed up photos from a device without losing them in iCloud?
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Apr 15, 2016 8:18 AMby javaliga,HelpfuliCloud Photo Library FAQ - Apple Support
I suggest you:
Import photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your computer - Apple Support
then copy the photos to a thumb drive/cd or external hard drive for safe keeping.
Assuming you are using iCloud Photo Library, you cannot upload photos to iCloud and then delete them from the phone, it does not work that way. If you delete them from the phone, they will be deleted from iCloud as well as all other devices.
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Apr 23, 2016 6:43 AMby Dan Uneken,In my opinion this is just a very annoying feature. What I would like is a big bucket where all images taken by all my devices are stored. I certainly don't want to swamp all my devices with all my images. The bucket then should be accessible from all devices, of course.
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Apr 23, 2016 6:49 AMby Csound1,Dan Uneken wrote:
In my opinion this is just a very annoying feature. What I would like is a big bucket where all images taken by all my devices are stored. I certainly don't want to swamp all my devices with all my images. The bucket then should be accessible from all devices, of course.
You have just described the system you're using
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Apr 23, 2016 7:51 AMby ksmith610,But alas, we all *have* to use that system. I can put all my photos on a big capacity thumb drive, but I would rather be able to delete locally stored photos while they are all kept intact in iCloud. You'd think that would have been obvious to Apple developers if it was so obvious to a moron like me.
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Apr 23, 2016 9:13 AMby ksmith610,From what you wrote, I would conclude that iPads and iPhones are merely viewers of the photo content in iCloud.
However, when you take photos or "import photos" to a device, those photos take up physical space in the device, do they not? I mean, when I sync and backup my devices to either iCloud or iTunes I can see graphically and numerically how much space the photos are taking on the device. So to me, that means there are physical "photos" stored on the device; they take up space. And, if I understand further, if I delete those photos physically residing on the device, they will be deleted from iCloud as well. This is what I find hard to understand, which is "why?". Do you see my difficulty?
I also know that one can choose one of two qualities of photo to store on the device, full resolution or "optimized" for the device to save space.
I would have expected the OS to *duplicate* the iCloud-stored photo on the device because it is *initially* saved in iCloud...and let a person delete stuff from the device only, or iCloud only, or both.
I have read iCloud Photo Library FAQ - Apple Support.
and I am still confused, but can move on and work with the limitation as best I can.
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Apr 23, 2016 10:53 AMby LACAllen,It's a limitation in your mind because the product doesn't do what you want it to do.
iCloud is a syncing service, not off device backup or storage. When you have a photo on your device, it takes up space. Either full resolution or optimized as is your choice, but it exists. It also exists in a full resolution copy on iCloud. When you remove either copy of that photo, iCloud Photo Library's design is to also remove it from the other, as well as any other device that is signed in to the same Apple ID and using iCloud Photo Library.
The *why* is because that's the design of the service. It actually does duplicate the photo if you want to say it that way. Then it removes that duplicate as it syncs between devices.
You are seeing the exact behaviour iCloud Photo Library was designed to deliver. "Edits" include "deletions".
