iPhone 6(S)/Plus Confused by photo apps

[donl1150]

I am confused with photos and all the various apps. I have all Apple products: Mac, 2 iphones & 2 ipads. Where exactly is the central repository for my pictures? The photos seem to be in all of them. Plus, I have several photo apps on my iphone such as Mylio, Google Photos & Amazon Photos. When I look in those, I find all the same photos there as well. Does that mean I have multiple copies of the same photo in each app?

Why is this subject so confusing? Or is it just me?

 

[0128672]

For Apple devices the included free Photos app is the central repository; this can also be used with iCloud to backup and make viewable all your photos on all your devices.

If you're also using other photo apps, no wonder it seems confusing. You might want to simplify things by using one photo app. The most seamless choice would probably be Apple's Photos app, but it's up to you.

If you'd like to know more about getting the most from the Photos app, here's Apple's Photos support page which has lots of help articles. But feel free to ask any and all questions too in these forums. Lots of knowledgeable people are here to help.

Photos - Official Apple Support

Learn more about taking pictures and videos with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Get help editing, organizing and sharing with these Photos resources.

support.apple.com

 

[now i see it]

As stated above, just use one photo repository. What you've got would bake even a seasoned pro confused.

If you can see all your photos on all your Apple devices, that because you've got iCloud Photos turned on. All your pictures get uploaded automatically to iCloud servers and all your Apple products link to it

If you turned off iCloud Photos, the photos and screenshots you take on your iPhone would only be viewable your iPhone.

The Photos app is where all the images in your iPhone end up.

 

[donl1150]

For Apple devices the included free Photos app is the central repository; this can also be used with iCloud to backup and make viewable all your photos on all your devices.

If you're also using other photo apps, no wonder it seems confusing. You might want to simplify things by using one photo app. The most seamless choice would probably be Apple's Photos app, but it's up to you.

If you'd like to know more about getting the most from the Photos app, here's Apple's Photos support page which has lots of help articles. But feel free to ask any and all questions too in these forums. Lots of knowledgeable people are here to help.

Photos - Official Apple Support

Learn more about taking pictures and videos with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Get help editing, organizing and sharing with these Photos resources.

support.apple.com

Ok thanks. So if I delete those other non-apple apps, will i lose the photos from my Apple photo app or will deleting those apps just remove all the apparent duplicates I have creaated?

 

[0128672]

Ok thanks. So if I delete those other non-apple apps, will i lose the photos from my Apple photo app or will deleting those apps just remove all the apparent duplicates I have creaated?

Deleting the other apps won't have any effect on your photos in the Apple Photos app.

 

[Blowback]

Careful! Before you do anything make sure you have a usable backup...or two or three. And I would think that deleting other photos apps WILL destroy photos that are only in that app and not in Apples Photos app. Again...have backups and if you're removing apps do one at a time.

 

[Aoligei]

Careful! Before you do anything make sure you have a usable backup...or two or three. And I would think that deleting other photos apps WILL destroy photos that are only in that app and not in Apples Photos app. Again...have backups and if you're removing apps do one at a time.

Well it won’t.

With Google photos, all your photos are compressed (Free tire, uncompressed when you pay for annual subscription). All your photos are uploaded to Google.

I have both Photo app and Google photo. I don’t pay for iCloud storage when Google photo offers free unlimited photo uploading.

Simply delete apps won’t delete your photos.

 

[akash.nu]

I mean, having multiple backups is actually a positive thing. So rather than deleting the app understand how it all works.

1. By default the Apple photos app is where you’d find all your photos, which is also connected to iCloud as mentioned earlier which is how you’d see them on the Apple devices. This is the most seamless and convenient way to keep using iCloud + device storage. Just ensure optimise storage is turned on under settings and that you continue paying for iCloud subscription.

2. Both Amazon and Google photos app are basically other free cloud storage systems where your photos are also getting uploaded as 2nd / 3rd backups.

Since both of them are free services, I.e. amazon photos comes free with prime subscription and google photos comes with a free tier as long as you don’t mind the compression, I say keep it going as is since you’re not losing anything. In fact you’re gaining free backup in case anything devastating were to happen to your Apple devices or iCloud account.

 

[Al Swav]

I don't think this is answered anywhere else. I've done some pretty extensive searching and I think this thread and it's respondents would provide a good starting point.

I currently have a 2010 iMac with 1TB HDD and a Lacie 2big 6TB in Raid 1 Config (3TB). My Photos library is about 1 TB of the Raid drive.

The iMac is old and I want to upgrade to the modern era. My question is, with a 256 SDD, if I have my Photos in iCloud Library, how will I ever keep the original photos? Am I taking a risk that the iCloud Photos will reside there forever without a backup? If I get a couple TB USB-C drive for the new iMac (non-Raid) will that suffice for the originals and maintain a backup in the iCloud library? Essentially, I would think that the USB drive originals and iCloud Library backups would be the most probably safety net. I'd still have the LaCie drive with all the originals, at least up until now...

Thoughts?

 

[Zazoh]

I don't think this is answered anywhere else. I've done some pretty extensive searching and I think this thread and it's respondents would provide a good starting point.

I currently have a 2010 iMac with 1TB HDD and a Lacie 2big 6TB in Raid 1 Config (3TB). My Photos library is about 1 TB of the Raid drive.

Thoughts?

For anyone who uses Photos on a Mac, iCloud is NOT a back up. iCloud synchs the Photo library designated as SYSTEM To your other iCloud devices. You are allowed multiple libraries in MacOS. iOS just syncs the system designated one.

This has a few benefits.
1. You can store your photos in the cloud and have thumbnail representations on devices that don’t have the physical space.
2. You can archive photos to other libraries that are not synced to everything else. I tend to create a new one every year, and only have my favorites album span the years.

Here is why, any photo that is in the system synced iCloud library, if deleted, is removed everywhere. You’ll see horror stories where folks uploaded to iCloud and then deleted on phone to save room. This deletes ICloud as well.

I manually drag my archive libraries to files in iCloud and Google drive, just in case. I can view them by launching photos holding the option key which allows you to select a library.

 

[Al Swav]

For anyone who uses Photos on a Mac, iCloud is NOT a back up. iCloud synchs the Photo library designated as SYSTEM To your other iCloud devices. You are allowed multiple libraries in MacOS. iOS just syncs the system designated one.


I manually drag my archive libraries to files in iCloud and Google drive, just in case. I can view them by launching photos holding the option key which allows you to select a library.

So I understand the deletion aspect of what you said, but I'm not intending on deleting anything. The old iMac still works.

But how is the "system designated one" actually designated. If buying a new iMac and logging in with the same Apple ID gets me the Photos library, and in Preferences I select "download orginals to this Mac" being the NEW MAC, then I'm golden right?? Logout of apple ID on the old iMac and format/recycle. Is my new iMac NOT the designated one at that point? If I option/Photos and select as system library, that's the "designation" correct?

Also, I've always been meaning to figure out how I'm ever going to get the wife to not have all the photos in the same library (over 150K!!) Please elaborate on "drag my archive libraries".

 

[Zazoh]

But how is the "system designated one" actually designated.

If buying a new iMac and logging in with the same Apple ID gets me the Photos library, and in Preferences I select "download orginals to this Mac" being the NEW MAC, then I'm golden right?? Logout of apple ID on the old iMac and format/recycle. Is my new iMac NOT the designated one at that point? If I option/Photos and select as system library, that's the "designation" correct?

Also, I've always been meaning to figure out how I'm ever going to get the wife to not have all the photos in the same library (over 150K!!) Please elaborate on "drag my archive libraries".

If you only have one library, it will be the System Library. When you set up the new computer and sign into iCloud it should transfer the iCloud library to the new computer. If you don't have space equal to the size of the library you have to use Optimize Mac Storage, then only placeholders are downloaded and you can access the full size from iCloud at anytime (You have an internet Connection)

[EDIT: It can take some time to sync large libraries] Don't rush to logout of iCloud on the old one, until you have validated the new one is fully there.

If you have multiple libraries, what I mean by drag, is go to finder and the photos folder, then copy a non system library to the iCloud Drive in a backup or OtherPhotos folder, then you in a sense, have a back up of that library. I don't use large drives, so my Mac mini only has a 128Gb drive, it have all my other libraries in the folder in iCloud. I have them in other back up locations as well, I tend to over back up.

I've found that I don't need or want more than a few thousand photos in any library. Others, like your wife, and mine, have a very different attitude about this.

I share new photos with friends and family within the first week of taking them. I reminisce over photos for about a year and occasionally look for something to PROVE something to someone. After a year, I keep my photos that lasted a year, in an alternate library. Christmas, vacations etc.

I take a great deal of photos, I save half of them. I realized one day, just like music, it doesn't make sense to collect them if I don't use them. I used to have 48 days of continual listening in my music library. Now I stream everything! Unless I know I'll be away from internet, then I download a playlist or two.

 

[Zazoh]

I forgot to mention. I don’t have iCloud turned on to synchronize all folders and desktop. I do it manually for files. If I create a file in Pages. It auto saves to iCloud. But when I drag other files or photo libraries to iCloud, I want them to stay there. If you have All file syncing turned on and delete anything from finder, it pulls it from iCloud as well.

bottom line, have a solid backup strategy.