HT201302: Import photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Learn about Import photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
George Oldridge

Q: Duplicate photos imported from iPhone in Photos

Every time I connect my iPhone to my mac I am asked if I wish to import new photos but they have been imported. Photos used to ask if I wanted to delete photos once they have been imported but this question is not asked anymore. I am on the latest OSX and IOS and the photos app is Version 1.5 (370.42.0).

Help please

Mac Book Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.7)

Posted on May 26, 2016 9:19 AM

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Q: Duplicate photos imported from iPhone in Photos

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  • Helpful answers

  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN May 26, 2016 3:36 PM in response to George Oldridge
    Level 10 (84,205 points)
    Photos for Mac
    May 26, 2016 3:36 PM in response to George Oldridge

    Photos is a new program and has a learning curve as all new programs do - In photos before you import you check the box to delete after import next to the Phone in the source list

     

    LN

  • by léonie,Helpful

    léonie léonie May 26, 2016 11:41 PM in response to George Oldridge
    Level 10 (105,761 points)
    iLife
    May 26, 2016 11:41 PM in response to George Oldridge
    Photos used to ask if I wanted to delete photos once they have been imported but this question is not asked anymore.

    Are you using iCloud Photo Library on your iPhone?

     

    You can only delete after importing, if the photos are stored locally on the iPhone, and the iPhone is not enabled to sync with iCloud Photo Library. In that case the option to delete after import will not be available, because the photos are stored elewhere and only mirrorored on the iPhone.

    Screen Shot 2016-05-27 at 00.43.02MESZ.jpg

  • by George Oldridge,

    George Oldridge George Oldridge May 26, 2016 11:39 PM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 26, 2016 11:39 PM in response to léonie

    I am using iCloud photo library but why when I connect my iPhone does Photos ask me if I wish to import the same 73 photos and why does it think they are new when they already exist in my library. If I import them it simply duplicates them and they appear the next time I connect my iPhone and if I import them they are duplicated again but Photos never stops asking me. I assumed with iCloud Photos set on all of my devices that there would never be any photos to import because they would have already synced with the cloud via the internet.

  • by léonie,Helpful

    léonie léonie May 27, 2016 2:00 AM in response to George Oldridge
    Level 10 (105,761 points)
    iLife
    May 27, 2016 2:00 AM in response to George Oldridge

    When ou are using iCloud Photo Library the duplicate detection on import does not work. it can only detect exact duplicates based on the file attributes. The files your iPhone keeps downloading from iCloud have different file attributes from the files on your Mac.

     

    don't use USB import at all, if you iPhone is using iCloud Photo Library, or select the new photos to be imported manually in the Import panel.

  • by George Oldridge,

    George Oldridge George Oldridge May 27, 2016 2:06 AM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 27, 2016 2:06 AM in response to léonie

    I have tried importing manually but the next time I connect they reappear as new photos and obviously they are not because I have just imported them. I realise that I do not need to import but I do sync my iPhone with iTunes so that it is backed up to my mac and time capsule as well as the cloud.

     

    I just don't understand why after importing the photos they are available to import again and again, obviously they are the same files in name and attribute so they should not appear as new photos every time I connect my iPhone.

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie May 27, 2016 2:26 AM in response to George Oldridge
    Level 10 (105,761 points)
    iLife
    May 27, 2016 2:26 AM in response to George Oldridge

    Do you delete the photos, after the have been imported once? "New" means "Not in your library".

     

    The iPhone is downloading the originals from iCloud, whenever they are needed on the iPhone. And then they will appear as new image files. This part has not been  implemented well.

     

    Just disable  the checkmark "Open Photos for this device" when the Import panel opens, and Photos will no launch and show you photos to be imported any longer.

     

    Screen Shot 2016-05-27 at 00.43.02MESZ.jpg

  • by George Oldridge,

    George Oldridge George Oldridge May 27, 2016 2:39 AM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 27, 2016 2:39 AM in response to léonie

    I dont delete them and the next time I connect they are there again to import, I have actually imported them four times just to see what happens on subsequent connections. After that I deleted them from the photo library and they were removed from all of my devices including my Mac but re-appeared the next time I connected my iPhone. They are obviously stored somewhere on the iPhone in addition to the cloud.

     

    I will do as you suggest and deselect the option to open photos for this device but it bugs me that they are still there somewhere on my iPhone.

     

    Thanks for your help.