Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Level 1

27 points

Photos forgot its already imported photos and keeps wanting to re-import a duplicate from iPhone.

On about 2,000 of my photos on the iPhone Photos (fired up iPhoto too and same thing) seems to have forgotten they have already been imported.

All the photos in question have long since been imported, and are mainly older images.

It's like the "already been downloaded" bit has been flipped.

If I tell it to re-import them, it will add them to the library (ALL dupes of existing images), and then it thinks the image is no longer "new" and it won't show up in the new images to import section. Seems okay, at this point....

Problem is, I don't want the dupes. I want the originally imported copies. (many in albums, etc)

When I delete a dupe file from Photos, it pops right back up in the new photos to import list all over again. (This might be an indication that the "already been downloaded bit" is set in Photos, not the iPhone.)

I do NOT want the dupe files. I don't want to remove from phone after import. I just want to tell Photos to stop trying to import those images.

Is there anyway to set a "DO NOT download" flag on images, or edit something in the iPhoto library to convince it to just leave those files alone?

Posted on Oct 23, 2016 5:22 PM

26 replies

Mar 19, 2018 11:24 AM in response to geoapple

I have this problem. too. In the Photos app on my desktop I did notice that the photos somehow had different dates. Maybe this is why it thinks they're not the same ones as previously imported

BUT, I can solve the problem by NOT importing the photos, closing the Photos app on the desktop, and unplugging the iPhone from the sync cable. When I reconnect the sync cable. Voila! no new photos to import.

🙂

axn9123

Level 1

12 points

Mar 24, 2018 6:17 AM in response to EddieGarrity

I have this problem too. Mine just started. It shows up as new photos for pictures I had previously imported from my wife's iphone. I manually import her photos to keep it in a separate album in the photos library. In addition for some bizarre reason as of a short while ago, whatever photo that is automatically downloaded from my iphone via my photostream ends up in the album entitled for her photos automatically. I also seem to have an entire album empty even though it previously had pictures. This is very frustrating.

LucyLou5

Level 1

13 points

Nov 21, 2017 4:34 AM in response to geoapple

I am having the exact same problem as geoapple, and I agree with the comments completely!

Am hoping Apple support will take notice and help us with a solution.

chris_g1

Community Specialist

Oct 24, 2016 10:35 AM in response to geoapple

Hello geoapple,

Thanks for asking about importing photos here in the Apple Support Communities. I understand how important it is to have your library organized and avoid duplicates. I will be happy to offer some options to help you with this!

The first thing we want to ensure is that all your data is safe. You can make a backup of your iPhone in iCloud or iTunes using this article : How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch . You can make a backup of your Mac using Time Machine and an external hard drive using this article: Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac .

Once your data is safe, I would like to share two things. The first is that, Photos only attempts to import "new" pictures. Once you tell Photos not to import them the first time, the pictures will no longer be new, and the system will no longer try to import them. The second is, if you enabled the iCloud Photo Library, you will no longer import pictures this way. Anything that is connected using the same Apple ID and has the iCloud Photo Library enabled will merge your photographs to your iCloud Photo Library, and then sync them across the other devices. You can read about the iCloud Photo Library at this link: iCloud Photo Library and more information in the help article here: iCloud Photo Library .

Thanks again and have a great rest of your day!

léonie

Level 10

195,151 points

Oct 24, 2016 10:53 AM in response to geoapple

Are you using iCloud Photo Library on your iPhone? And is the option "Optimize Storage" enabled on your iPhone for iCloud Photo Library?

Then it is natural to be seeing the same photos over and over again as new photos, because the photos are actually stored in iCloud and only mirrored on your iPhone when you download them for viewing. These new downloaded copies will appear as new photo in the camera roll. To avoid importing duplicates do not import using a USB connection while your iPhone is syncing with iCloud Photo Library. Or select manually only the new photos that have not yet been imported, if you do not want to wait for the photos to sync via iCloud.

geoapple Author

Level 1

27 points

Oct 24, 2016 7:33 PM in response to chris_g1

The first is that, Photos only attempts to import "new" pictures.

This is not true. These are not "new" photos by any means, and if you read my original post, you'd see that, the photos were indeed imported long before this problem originated. AND are still in the library. iPhoto and Photos both recognized those files in the past as having been previously imported.

A bit is just got set improperly. (or however import state of a file is maintained)

Once you tell Photos not to import them the first time,

How does one "tell Photos to NOT IMPORT" particular files? There is no option for that that I can see.

There is only an option to Import.

(And a follow option of deleting after import, but that is a function of doing an import).

If you fail to import an image, it is still reported as by Photos new the next time the phone is plugged in.

the pictures will no longer be new, and the system will no longer try to import them.

Again, already imported (originally) and iPhoto/Photos honored the import status for many years. And it continues to do so for the other 30,000+ photos.

And passively not importing files does NOT change their status from new, and the system will indeed try to import them again.

===================================

Additionally [and this is a second issue], an "already imported but deleted photo" is also considered "new", as Photos does NOT preserve import information for deleted files. So Photos has already imported it but still calls it new. I can't recall 100% if iPhoto did the same thing, but I don't seem to remember seeing photos deleted in iPhoto reappearing in the "new photos to import" section. But again, this is a second issue.

Unexpected behavior, but nothing to do with ~2000 photos suddenly being classified as "new" DESPITE THE FACT THEY ARE STILL IN THE LIBRARY.

===================================