Why is Apple making it nearly impossible to move photos around without icloud??

Thank you for your reply.

I assume none of this has anything to do with you, so please forgive me, but talking to "apple feedback" is like talking to a wall: a complete waste of time. If I put my frustration out here, at least ppl who share it know they're not alone and if there are enough of us, maybe they'll move. Nor is that particular community policy helpful - but I'm not here about that so that's all I'll say on it.

Also, yes, I can download my library to other devices - *if they use iCloud Photo Library*, which essentially removes my control over my photos. It's been a mistake to use it on one device, I do not want to extend it to others. I want to remove my pics from iCloud precisely so that I can stop using it.

Not letting ppl select more than one picture at a time in the web app seems like pure chicanery. I cannot see a single good reason for it - other than trying to prevent ppl from leaving.

I do not understand why they seem to see the need to try and rope their customers into the apple environment like that. Surely they're competitive, and seem less "evil", without it. I'm happy with the devices; I'd be more likely to use more of the services if it wasn't for their many restrictive policies.

Once again, thanks for your answer and your continued patience.

Leaving aside my apple gripes - do you have any idea *why* it is not possible to select all pics at once on the iCloud web browser app or a workaround?

Seriously - I was after a technical reason. No need to repeat yourself; I do get that you're not in a position to discuss apple *policy*. So I stopped asking you about it. I was wondering whether there was any particular technical reason for the restrictive options available (& thus possibly a technical workaround) - because you can only select entire moments for *some* actions, not others, which Apple evidently wishes to reserve for their iCloud Photo Library app, as there is no evident other reason (so in other words - it is just policy, not tech, and so does not belong in this forum).

Nor is the size of my device the problem here, but the fact that I do not wish to pay for a plan large enough to transfer my number of photos from one device to another via iCloud Photo Library when free/better options are available elsewhere. To be clear: *Obviously*, Apple is entirely within their rights and free to do as they please with this and the entirety of their products and services. Nor do I wish to foist a policy discussion on anyone. It just *baffles* me that they are apparently blind to the negative fallout from such restrictions on their users. Just MHO.

Still I do appreciate what you're doing here, even if it doesn't help me with my problem in this case.

Thank you.

Look - I don't know why you still take offence at my question; as I've said, I respect your position/the forum rules on not discussing policy. As the other answer below shows, however, there *is* an answer to the tech part of it; indeed, the *shift + select* route isn't exactly uncommon, it's just not available in iCloud Photo Library on the web for reasons that apparently can only be policy.

I also respect your choice to no longer contribute to this exchange, but I do have to correct your wrong conclusions above - and I am also writing all of it down in the hope that someone from apple might still read it and care. And yes - I am going to take alternative options; however, I would like my pictures back first, hence my question to the forum in the first place.

I'm referring to two different devices here: an iPhone, which currently uses iCloud library, and a Macbook, which does not. To stop using iCloud library, as far as I can tell, I have three options:

1) lose the pics stored in it by just turning it off;

2) turn it off & re-download the originals to the same device;

3) turn it off & re-download the originals to another device.

I don't want 1); I cannot do 2) because yes, that device has, in the meantime, filled up with other stuff. But the thing is - I cannot easily do 3) in the way apple is suggesting, either, because while the default iCloud plan is large enough for the iPhone pics, it certainly isn't for those already on the mac - and in order to transfer new/iPhone pics *to* the mac via iCloud library, apple *is making me* upload all the mac pics to iCloud library first. Now I'm sure that somehow makes sense from a synching point of view, but it requires purchasing a larger iCloud plan first. Under which condition I choose not to use iCloud library to transfer my pics.

So the only way out I've come up with is to download my original pics manually from the iCloud webpage - which apple is making very difficult for no apparent technical reason, as we've now established.

Thank you for your time.