how do I delete photos off my phone but keep them in the cloud storage.
I want to make space on my phone and move the photos to the cloud
iPhone 5s, iOS 9.3.1
Put them only on the phone, not in the iCloud Library. Then they are independent
Use iCloud Photo library & turn on Optimize [device] Storage:
iCloud Photo Library FAQ - Apple Support
iCloud Photo Library will then automatically manage the size of your library on your device, so you can make the most of your device's storage. All of your original, full-resolution photos and videos are stored in iCloud while device-size versions are kept on your device. You can download the original photos and videos over Wi-Fi or cellular when you need them.
How does one put them on the phone independently and can I still upload them to the cloud if they sit independently?
Thank you for your help 🙂
But if delete a photo from my phone, does it automatically delete it from my cloud. I want to take photos off my phone but leave them in my cloud. That is kind of the purpose when having a cloud....to free up space on other devices and keep the photos safe right?
Yes, if you use the iCloud Photo library theres only 1 copy of each photograph and just like you can see it from any device, you can also delete it from any device.
Yes, by using Photo Library, deleting a photo from my phone, will automatically delete it from iCloud. As I said above, "device-size versions are kept on your device" so it will save you space on your phone. If you really want to delete the photos on your phone, perhaps the safest way to back them up is to transfer them to your computer:
Import photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support
My understanding is that Apple intends iCloud to be a syncing/backup system and not used simply for external storage.
iCloud is a sync system, not an external storage system.
Use an alternative, DropBox (for example) if you want to save space on the phone.
Using the ICloud for photo storage
