iTunes Photos Sync Problem

Yeah....I have been battling this photo sync mess for months now...although the last user who said that it has to do with the photo cache file was correct...simply deleting the cache file/rebooting then syncing doesn't work (for me anyway). I was able to get some photos synced using this method however not nearly all I wanted & then what happens when you want to sync again?? Deleting the cache file again- then syncing will remove all the photos from your device that you managed to get applied the first time! At best you get one sync using this method, but it beats a blank I guess?

Another method mentioned as a "success" was returning to a previous version of iTunes. Well I don't know about everyone else, but I have been dealing with this mess through at least two versions now from iTunes! Therefore my previous iTunes files were also "tainted" with this problem - so? It's a no-go scenario (for me anyway).

I have literally tried everything I, and fellow users on here, can think of. We're screwed until Apple tries to fix this. They should have at least addressed this problem publicly though. Let everyone know that syncing photos on any device is impossible right now for those affected by this. I guess they feel that it would dampen sales though. I have seen many people on here going out and buying new iPads/devices and bringing these expensive items home only to discover they can not sync photos. I would be quite angry if I were them (although I am pretty angry already). This have been going on for months as I said - No excuse for this from a company like Apple! Syncing photos & photo usage is what I do most on my devices. For me it has rendered my various Apple products useless. This really needs to be addressed by Apple immediately in my opinion. How many of us have been pulling our hair out trying to fix this mess for how long now? Really disappointing from the biggest tech company around. At least let us know where they are in fixing this!

Apple really needs to undo whatever they've done quickly!

Hello Dev Team,

please help us fix this problem....it's a major bug....affecting multiple devices...brand new devices....

I've got 10 of thousands of photos to sync...but cannot sync after initial sync....

An update on the progress would be helpful if there is not immediate fix available

I have same problem on my Win10 PC. It was fine couple of months back, but now it just hangs on the photos sync, just says Reading photos and gets stuck there forever like hours. Has nothing to do with IOS11. Doesn't work IOS10 either and that hasn't been updated in a long time. If I disable photo sync, then the sync completes fine. So it's definitely a problem with iTunes during photo sync. Basically disk I/O stops and CPU on itunes is still running at 40-50% CPU. This is bad, they need to fix this quickly.

I have had the problem on my iPad since December 2017 (Sync with iPhone6s works absolutely fine, so it's not iTunes, not the iMac) and have been in touch with AppleCare sind February 2018 at no avail. So regretfully no suggestions except that according to a French forum I found this morning the problem has been around since 2010 !...

From the various comments on this forum I also realise that buying a new device is not necessarily a solution as old and new iPads or iPhones seem to be randomly affected. My hunch is that the issue is Apple's way of forcing all of those who do not use iCloud to store their thousands of photos, for lack of trust or just because they would be forced to pay a fee for a service they could have for free if stored on their own devices, go this way anyway.

You could be right I guess....I mean the thought has crossed my mind too - however just because it's been going on for months now, doesn't mean it's not an iTunes proble though - does it? I still feel it's some sort glitch with the photo cache file that was applied via either an iOS update, Window/Mac update, or iTunes update itself (which has my vote) & who's to say that it didn't happen back then in Dec/2017? That's when things went south for me too.

Prior to syncing - if you delete the photo cache file, reboot your computer then attempt to sync photos to your device - you'll find the photos, or at least some photos, taken/added since beginning of 2018 WILL sync to your device. It's the slightly older photos - dated 2017 or before - that sparatically if at all - get uploaded during the sync. This doesn't seem to fit the theory that Apple is trying to corral users into using that iCloud photo bit. I think it would be just opposite with old photos being applied with the new ones being excluded, but who know? Just my opinion.

No, I think something went very wrong with an update that affects the photo cache file, as well as utilizing dates of these photos as some sort of marker that limits accessibility to them. You'll notice that if you follow what I said about deleting the photo cache file, etc. - iTunes TRIES to sync the photos - i.e. you'll see the actual number of photos it should be adding to your device, (copying 100 photos of 2,000 for example) but then iTunes just doesn't actually add them, or doesn't finish the sync.

I just hope we either get a fix to this problem soon, or at least some sort of explanation. For this problem to be going on for so long is ridiculous.

Thanks for your comments. The only consolation lies in the fact that many seem affected by the same issue. Considering that the issue has been around for years for some, what's more puzzling is that Apple does not seem in a hurry to fix the problem. This very seriously shakes my faith in Apple being intuitif and reliable.

With that.....we are in 100% agreement. I am very disappointed in what was my favorite tech company. No excuse for this going on at all, not to mention for how long it's been happening. They could at least say something regarding this inability to sync photos to our devices. They have gotten too high & mighty for their own good.

I have this problem on my iPhone (6S & X) and on my iPad. I called Apple last month (April '18) and they said they are aware of the problem and are working on it. There was no work around or resolution at that time.

My Photos Will Not Sync To My Iphone I Have Been Having This Problem For about a month now i have called apple customer care and we have tried several things and the issue is still doing the same thing

I have this issue too!!! stuck forever at reading photos. Calls to Apple was a total waste of time as I feel I know more than them and they keep prescribing remedies from the cookbook..highly suspect it is due to the latest iTunes as the prob occurred immediately after the update

I Even Went To The apple Store After Calling Apple Care and They couldnt Figure It Out I Myself Deleted All of Itunes and Reinstalled It And It Put Everything back On That I had in It And Continues To do The same Thing This Is Beyond Frustrating I Have Never as Long as I have had apple devices That Itunes Acted This way Even The Apple store couldnt help although my Computer Is windows They still Tried Things And It Just Isnt working

I know - It's crazy! Do you think this is some ploy to get everyone to use their iCloud Photo app? I have not been able to sync photos to my iPhone 8 or my iPad 4th generation since around last November (2017). Now that Imthink about it - I remember people on here saying even the iCloud Photo thing is messed up. I am so disgusted with Apple. As I have said before on here - they need to at least address this problem & ITS A MAJOR PROBLEM! Not being able to sync photos to any of our devices is a huge deal as far as I am concerned.

Totally Agree I Think Probably Because They Keep Coming Out With These New Phones They Really Need To Think About the Other Customers That Dont Just Run Out And Buy The latest Model I Have The 7plus And as long as i Had it it was never an issue with itunes until Now As Far as icloud It Still Works I Do back Up My Device Often Which You Should Do But This Syncing Thing Is Just Really Have Me Angry I have Alot of New photos to put on my device and cant I Think In a few Days I Will Call Apple Care again and To The The Head Case worker I Had Working on My Issue and see If She has Heard anything Because Basically I had Given Up But We Shall See I Have to do it when i have time Because They always want to take Over Your computer and Look For themselves and That Way You can Show Them whats Going on but since I talked To her last I tried Things myself Like Uninstalling Itunes twice So Im Going To See What The answer will Be This Time Im Very Curious

I have turned my windows 10 computer inside out - plus I have turned iTunes inside out trying to fix this for literally months - nothing works. I have done every so-called fix listed on here several times and again - nothing works. I had some spam email about my Apple ID that I contacted Apple about last month. While talking to them, I mentioned this photo syncing problem - they were not shocked obviously and offered help but I declined it because I know the only thing that will fix this is some sort of correcting download that reverses what one of their updates did. Its been almost 7 months now for me and it's just ridiculous. You're right too - people are going out and buying brand new devices thinking that the problem existed simply because their original device was out of date only to find their brand new Apple device still can't sync photos - and that's a crime! Apple needs to come clean about this problem & fix it pronto. At the very least tell us where they are in fixing it or that they are even TRYING to fix it! Every day I check my computers for an Apple update - hoping that the next one will fix this friggin' problem that THEY created. If you hear anything - let me/us know - ok? I will do the same - Jericho

JPEWBDEN is knocking on the solution. My iPhone 6+ had similar symptoms. All photos on PC in Albums, would NOT sync to iPhone (using iTunes). It would sync all the Albums (by name), but each album had 0 photos in it? When I went to General -> About, the iPhone said I had 17,109 photos on my phone, even though I had unchecked Sync Photos box in iTunes, which deleted pics & albums from the phone (should’ve said 59 photos, the current count in my camera roll). Another curious symptom, was that I could see the previous successfully sync’d pics in Collections (the timeline view of photos?). So, certainly, some version of photos *is copied to the iPhone, but, not the Album version?

I tied *many things, to successfully sync my 8,793 photos to my phone. Removed & reinstalled iTunes, nope. Deleted all the ‘iTunes Photo Cache’ files, nope. It was when I found 17,109 photos under About, that I came upon my solution.

Settings -> Apple ID -> iCloud, Turn Photos tab ON.

This warned me that ‘All photos on device would be erased’. Yes! That’s what I wanted! Left iCloud Photos tab ON for a few minutes until General -> About said phone contained 59 photos (the current total of my Camera Roll). Went back to iCloud to turn Photos tab back to OFF. Backed-out of Settings to the begin menu.

Never powered down, nor reset *anything. Connected phone to PC, checked box to Sync Photos, chose location where all my albums are, clicked Sync (bottom, right) and my iTunes is now currently on Step 7 of 7, and is currently copying photo 412 of 8793 (and counting).

Thx for your help, JPEWBDEN. iCloud toggle, fixed me. :-)