What's the Difference Between iCloud Photo Library & My Photo Stream?
Happy New Year <<First Name>>,
I want to thank you for continuing to support me and my work with your purchases, reading, and sharing. 2018 was a year of tremendous learning and growth for me, and I hope for you too.
Speaking of learning, are you ready to get right back at it?
During the holiday break, on several occasions, I had friends, family, and clients ask me what the difference between iCloud Photo Library and Photo Stream is, and which one should they use.
These are a great questions, especially after taking all those holiday photos and videos.
In this edition, I'll do my best to answer those questions so you can better understand how to share and sync your precious memories with all your devices. If after reading through this edition you still would like some help, please reach out to me to set up a learning session.
Now...let's get to work...
What is the Difference Between iCloud Photos & My Photo Stream?
Apple's iCloud service provides you two ways to share your photos with your other iOS devices, Mac and Windows desktop computers -- iCloud Photo Library and My Photo Stream.
Both photo syncing features require you to login to iCloud on your devices with the same Apple ID and Password.
iCloud Photo Library makes it possible for you to backup and store all of your photos and videos in iCloud (and keeps all of your edits up to date too.) Once uploaded, you can view them on all of your iCloud-connected devices, as well as via iCloud.com. Keep in mind, your stored photos and videos count against your current iCloud storage, but it frees up storage space on your iOS device and computer.
My Photo Stream automatically uploads new photos (only) and sends them to all of your iCloud-connected devices. It stores the most recent 30 days' worth of photos (up to 1,000 photos). Once you take a new photo, My Photo Stream kicks out the oldest photo in the stream to make room for the new photo. But keep in mind, once removed from the stream, your other devices won't see that photo unless you manually downloaded it from the stream prior to being removed. Original photos remain on the device that took the photo and are never removed.
My Photo Stream is temporary storage and does not count against your iCloud storage.
When you sign up for iCloud, you automatically get 5GB of free storage. If you have a large collection in iCloud Photos and need more storage, you can buy extra starting at 50GB for $0.99 (USD) a month. If you choose a 200GB plan or higher, you can share with your family.
You can turn on Optimize Storage and save space on your device.
Edits are stored in iCloud and stay up to date on your Apple devices.
My Photo Stream
Doesn't count against your iCloud storage.
Uploads your last 30 days and up to 1000 photos.
Downloads to your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch in a smaller resolution. On your Mac or PC, your photos download in full-resolution.
Edits you make won't update across your devices.
Which Photo feature is right for you?
Do you have a lot of photos that you want to access across your devices at any time? - You should use iCloud Photo Library to store and access your photos and videos. My Photo Stream only gives you access to your most recent 1,000 photos (or the past 30 days) across your devices.
Do you have the lowest tier iCloud storage? - If you're still using up less than 5GB of iCloud storage and don't ever want to pay even $0.99 per month for more, you should stick with My Photo Stream. It doesn't count against your iCloud storage capacity. Photos tend to take up a lot of space, and you can easily max out your 5GB of free storage space if you switch to iCloud Photo Library. In fact, you'll probably get a notification as soon as you try to switch asking you to upgrade your storage plan.
Do you want to sync your videos across all devices? - You definitely need iCloud Library, then. My Photo Stream doesn't support video at all.
Do you use another photo storage app that works just fine? - If you've already got your cloud-based storage needs taken care of, then you probably don't want to fill up your iCloud storage with another version of the same photos. If you keep your pics and videos in Dropbox or Google Photos, or some other storage app, you could stick with My Photo Stream and only use it on occasion for pics you've recently taken.
Do you want to access your photos from anywhere you have a web browser? - iCloud Photo Library is the only Apple Photos service that lets you view your entire photo library from anywhere you have internet access and a web browser through iCloud.com.
Learn More - How to Setup iCloud Photo Library & My Photo Stream
If you know someone who might benefit from this tip, please share it with them. In fact, encourage them to sign up to receive helpful tips in their inbox. They'll thank you for it!
Thank you so much for being a member of my newsletter family.
PS...I truly appreciate you being a subscriber. I look forward to bringing you more great written and video content in the upcoming editions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dave, This Stuff is Awesome! I Would Love More Training, How Can I Get It?
If you crave more personalized training for business or personal use, I provide both one-on-one and classroom style training for various iOS and App topics. I'd be happy to work with you and/or your business/organization to improve your Apple iOS device comfort, knowledge, and experience.
Please email me at iPad Expert Dave to discuss all opportunities -- including speaking at events.
I want to thank you for continuing to support me and my work with your purchases, reading, and sharing. 2018 was a year of tremendous learning and growth for me, and I hope for you too.
iCloud Photo Library makes it possible for you to backup and store all of your photos and videos in iCloud (and keeps all of your edits up to date too.) Once uploaded, you can view them on all of your iCloud-connected devices, as well as via iCloud.com. Keep in mind, your stored photos and videos count against your current iCloud storage, but it frees up storage space on your iOS device and computer.
"Get Your Mobile On!"©
