How to view iCloud photos on your iPhone

Setting up your iPhone to sync your iCloud photos is a great way to make sure all the pictures you take are automatically backed up with the rest of your photo library. But that’s not the only way you can view your pictures and videos from iCloud. Below are instructions for syncing your pictures and viewing them in the Photos app, as well as how to browse through your iCloud photos if you don’t want them saved on your phone.

Option 1. Access your iCloud photos in the Photos app

The most straightforward way to view your photos from iCloud on your iPhone is by turning on iCloud Photos in the Settings app so that all of your pictures and videos sync with your device. Follow these steps to turn on iCloud Photos:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap [your name] > iCloud > Photos.
3. Turn the slider for iCloud Photos on.

Once you have that turned on, you’ll be able to view all of your pictures and videos in the Photos app.

Option 2. View the photos in your browser

If you’re using a shared iCloud account — or want to view a different photo library — you can view pictures from iCloud using your web browser. Follow the steps below to access your iCloud photos without all of them syncing to your device:

1. Open Safari and go to iCloud.com.
2. Sign in to your iCloud account.
3. Tap Photos.

Why don’t I see my iCloud photos on iPhone?

If you don’t see your iCloud photos on your iPhone, there are a few possible reasons. Here are some common problems and things you can do to resolve them:

• iCloud Photos is not allowed on cellular data. Syncing pictures and videos can use up a lot of data, so there’s a feature that will restrict your phone to updating only when connected to a Wi-Fi network. To allow or restrict updates using cellular data, go to Settings > Photos > Cellular Data.
• You’re signed in to a different iCloud account. If you have multiple Apple IDs, it could be that you’re logged in to two different accounts on your iPhone and on your computer. You can check which Apple ID you’re signed in with on your iPhone by going to Settings > [your name].
• iCloud Photos isn’t turned on. It’s possible to be logged in to iCloud without iCloud Photos being turned on. To check, you can go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos.

How to access iCloud Photos on a Windows PC

One of the great things about iCloud is that you can access your pictures on any device. Yes, even on a Windows computer. While iCloud may not be as seamless on a PC as it is on a Mac, Apple has gone to great lengths to make it as user-friendly as possible.

Option 1. Use iCloud for Windows

If you want to keep your photo library in sync with your iPhone and Windows computer, you’ll have to download iCloud for Windows. After you have that downloaded and installed, you can turn on iCloud Photos to start syncing:

1. Open the iCloud for Windows app.
2. Sign in with your Apple ID.
3. Check the box next to Photos to turn it on.
4. Click Apply.

After you’ve turned on iCloud Photos, how you view your photos will depend on which operating system you’re using.

For Windows 10:

1. In the notification area, click the up arrow in the bottom-right corner of your screen. 
2. Click the iCloud icon. 
3. Click Download Photos.

For Windows 8:

1. Click Start.
   Note: On Windows 8.1, you’ll also need to click the down arrow in the lower-left corner.
2. Open the iCloud Photos app.

Option 2. Log in to iCloud in your browser

If you just want to view your pictures without iCloud syncing them to the computer you’re using, you can access your iCloud photos through your web browser:

1. Open your browser of choice and go to iCloud.com.
2. Sign in with your Apple ID.
3. Click Photos.

How to access iCloud Photos on Mac

Thankfully, using iCloud with a Mac couldn’t be any easier. You can set it up so that your iCloud photos are syncing with the Photos app. Or if you don’t want your pictures to automatically save to the computer you’re using, you can simply view your photo library using Safari.

Option 1. See your iCloud photos in the Photos app

If you want to make sure that your most recent pictures and videos are always on your Mac, you’ll want to turn on iCloud Photos in System Preferences. iCloud will make sure the Photos app on your Mac is automatically updated with your pictures from other devices, like your iPhone or iPad. Follow these steps to start syncing your Mac with iCloud photos:

1. Click the Apple icon at the top-left of your screen.
2. Click System Preferences > iCloud.
3. Sign in with your Apple ID.
4. Check the box next to Photos to turn it on.
5. Open the Photos app.

Option 2. Access iCloud in your browser

If you’re using a friend’s computer or a shared Mac, you probably won’t want to sync your photo library with that computer. But don’t worry. You can still view your iCloud pictures by following these steps:

1. Open Safari and go to iCloud.com.
2. Log in with your Apple ID.
3. Click Photos.

Why can’t I see my iCloud photos on a Mac?

If some of your iCloud photos aren’t showing up on your Mac, here are a couple of common issues and what you can do to fix them:

• Your software needs to be updated. Either your MacOS or the Photos app could be out of date, causing syncing issues. Check for updates by clicking the Apple icon > App Store > Updates.
• You’re signed in to a different iCloud account. Verify that you’re logged in to the correct iCloud account by clicking the Apple icon > System Preferences > iCloud.
• iCloud is out of storage. If your iCloud account is out of free space, it won’t be able to update with your photos. You can check how much storage you have available by going to the Apple icon > System Preferences > iCloud. Or, if you’re in Safari, go to iCloud.com > Account Settings > Storage.

iCloud Photos is a great way to back up your photo library and make sure that your devices automatically contain your most recent pictures. And it also keeps your videos and pics online, so whether you’re using your personal computer or that of a friend, you’ll always be able to view your photos.

The post How to access your iCloud photos on an iPhone, PC, or Mac appeared first on Backlight.

If the thought of backing up your photos is a bit intimidating, don’t worry. Keep reading, and you’ll learn just how simple it is to keep your pictures and videos backed up — both with and without iCloud.

Before you do an iPhone photo backup

Before we jump headfirst into backups, let’s take a moment to address an ever-present issue: Your photo library can take up a lot of space. No matter how you decide to back up your pictures, you should only keep the photos you want. Otherwise, you’re just wasting space. And in some cases, as is the case with iCloud, that could end up costing you money.

Thankfully, an app like Gemini Photos will scan your photo library and quickly sort your pictures into categories like Similar, Duplicates, Screenshots, Notes, and more. To start cleaning up your library, download Gemini Photos from the App Store and follow these steps:

1. Open Gemini Photos on your iPhone.
2. Let it scan your library.
3. Tap on the Duplicates category.
4. Tap on a group of photos.
5. Select the pictures you want to get rid of.
6. After you go through all of the duplicates, tap the Delete Duplicates button at the bottom.
7. Tap Delete on the pop-up.
8. Tap Your Library to go back and select another category like Screenshots, Blurred, or etc.
9. When you’re finished cleaning up your library, open the Photos App on your iPhone.
10. Tap Albums > Recently Deleted > Select > Delete All.

Back up your iPhone photos to the cloud

If you’re looking for a way to keep your pictures automatically backed up, then the cloud is definitely the answer for you. And fortunately, that doesn’t mean your options are limited to iCloud. There are other services like Google Photos and Amazon Photos for you to choose from.

How to back up photos to iCloud

If you’re already deep into the Apple ecosystem, iCloud is probably your best bet. Since it’s built into iOS, all of the setup and functionality is native to your iPhone. Follow the steps below to back up the pictures on your iPhone to iCloud:

1. On your iPhone, open the Settings app.
2. Tap [your name] > iCloud > Photos.
3. Toggle iCloud Photos on.

Yes, it really is that simple. The pictures and videos in your Photos app will then start backing up to iCloud. Something to keep in mind is that, by default, every Apple ID gets 5 GB of storage for free with their iCloud account. But when you start backing up your photo library, those 5 GB can fill up fast. If this happens to you, you may need to pay for upgraded storage.

How to back up photos from iPhone to Google Photos

One of the nice things about backing up your pictures to Google Photos is that it offers unlimited photo and video storage — for free! But, there is a catch. It does slightly compress everything you upload.

If you’re specifically looking for a free backup, then this is a great option. You also have the option to upload at full quality, but this will count toward your Google One storage (meaning it will share space with your Gmail account, Google Drive, etc.). But, like iCloud, you can pay to upgrade your total storage if you run out.

To start backing up your pictures with Google Photos:

1. Download Google Photos on your iPhone.
2. Open the app and sign in with your Google account.
3. Choose High quality or Original.
4. Tap Confirm.

How to back up your pictures with Amazon Photos

Another cloud service you can use to back up your photos is Amazon Photos. You can store an unlimited number of photos — at full quality — for free if you’re an Amazon Prime customer. If you want to back up your videos, you’ll get 5 GB of storage for free but will have to pay an annual fee to upgrade if you find yourself needing more space.

After you download Amazon Photos onto your iPhone, you can follow these steps to set it up.

1. Open the app and sign in to your Prime account.
2. Tap Allow to let Amazon access your Photos app.
3. Choose to turn on Auto-Save and Cellular Data.
4. Tap Done.

Back up iPhone photos to your computer

Maybe you don’t like the idea of your entire photo library being in the cloud somewhere. You can always back up your pictures directly to your computer. Your backups obviously won’t be automatic or as frequent as they would be if you were to use a cloud service. Still, this does allow you to have a little more control over which pictures you’re saving.

How to back up iPhone pictures to a Mac with Photos

One of the easiest ways to back up your iPhone’s pictures is with the Photos app on your Mac. After connecting your iPhone to a Mac using the Lightning-to-USB cable, follow these steps:

1. On your Mac, open the Photos app.
2. If needed, unlock your iPhone and tap Trust This Device to continue.
3. If the import window doesn’t automatically appear, click on your iPhone in the Photos app’s sidebar.
4. Either select the pictures you want to import or click Import All New Items in the top right-hand corner.

How to make a photo backup on Mac using Finder

Starting with macOS Catalina (10.15) or later, you can sync your iPhone with a Mac using Finder. Connect your iPhone to your Mac using a USB cable and follow the following steps to sync your pictures:

1. On the Mac, open a new Finder window.
2. In the sidebar, under your Devices, click on your iPhone.
3. Click Photos at the top of the window.
4. Check Sync Photos.
5. Choose the app or folder you want to sync to.
6. Choose to sync all photos and albums or just selected albums. 
7. Click Apply.

How to back up your iPhone photos to a PC using Windows Photos

You can also back up your iPhone photos to a computer running Windows 10 by using the default app Windows Photos. Using a USB cable, connect your iPhone to the computer and unlock your phone:

1. If prompted on your iPhone, tap Trust This Device.
2. Open Windows Photos.
3. In the top-right corner, click Import.
4. A pop-up will appear. Select the pictures you want to backup.
5. Click Continue and follow the instructions.

How to back up pictures to your Windows PC with File Explorer

Another way you can back up your iPhone pictures is by using File Explorer on your Windows computer. Plug your iPhone into your computer using a Lightning-to-USB cable, then follow the steps below:

1. Unlock your iPhone and tap Trust This Device when prompted.
2. Open a File Explorer window. Your iPhone should appear in the sidebar as a new device under This PC (in Windows 10) or Computer (in Windows 7).
3. Right-click on it and select Import pictures and videos.
4. Follow the instructions in the Import wizard.

There are plenty of options when it comes to backing up pictures and videos from your iPhone. In fact, there are so many that there’s no excuse for not making sure the memories you’ve captured are safely saved. Hopefully, one of the methods mentioned in this article will work for you, and you’ll be able to maintain a consistent iPhone photo backup.

The post How to back up photos on iPhone, with or without iCloud appeared first on Backlight.

This article will go over the three major photo storage services — Amazon Photos, Google Photos, and iCloud — and share everything you need to know to help you decide which service is best for you.

Amazon Photos vs. Google Photos vs. iCloud: The pricing

Even comparing the pricing options of the three major photo storage services can be confusing because they all offer something different. For instance, Amazon bases its pricing on a yearly rate, while Google and iCloud will charge you every month. Each of them also offers a free tier with different perks and limitations. But if you want to upgrade to more storage, here’s a breakdown across each service:

Amazon Photos

• 100 GB for $19.99/year
• 1 TB for $59.99/year

Google Photos

• 100 GB for $1.99/month
• 200 GB for $2.99/month
• 2 TB for $9.99/month

iCloud

• 50 GB for $0.99/month
• 200 GB for $2.99/month
• 2 TB for $9.99/month

How much cloud storage do I get for free?

As we mentioned earlier, each service offers a free tier with different features. Here’s a comparison of what you can expect from these free options before you have to upgrade and start paying for storage.

Amazon Photos

To say that Amazon Photos has a free service is a bit misleading. They do offer free unlimited photo storage, but to Amazon Prime customers only. And that’s only for pictures. You only get 5 GB to store your videos for free. To back up more videos, you’ll have to upgrade your storage.

If you want to use Amazon Photos without being a Prime member, there is no free option. You’ll have to subscribe to one of their paid storage tiers. 

Google Photos

The good news about Google Photos is that you get unlimited pics and video storage for free. Yes, you read that right — free unlimited storage for your photo library. The catch, however, is that you can only save compressed versions of your pictures and videos. 

If file compression isn’t a big deal to you, then Google Photos is a steal. But if you want to save your photo library at full quality, you can upload 15 GB free before you have to upgrade to a paid storage option.

iCloud

Of these three services, iCloud is probably the most straightforward when it comes to pricing. The free tier gives you 5 GB of storage but not without a catch. That 5 GB of storage is shared with everything else on iCloud. 

If your iPhone is connected to an iCloud account, it means you’re splitting that 5 GB of free storage between your photos, notes, text messages, contacts, and iPhone backup file. As you can imagine, that 5 GB doesn’t go far when you take all of those things into consideration.

Is Amazon Photos, Google Photos, or iCloud more convenient?

There’s a lot to take into account when you’re comparing these services, especially when trying to determine which service is going to be the most convenient for you. For example, if you’re using an iPhone, then iCloud, right off the bat, is the most native because so many features of iOS depend on having an iCloud account. But here’s a closer look at how these services hold up when pitted against each other.

Amazon Photos vs. Google Photos

If you’re just looking for free online photo storage, these two are definitely the ones you want to dig into. The immediate downside to either of these is that they both require a second app. So, while you take pictures using the Camera app, everything you capture still ends up in the Photos app first. 

Thankfully, both services allow you to automatically upload your pictures as you take them on your phone. This is great if you’re using it to backup your photo library. But if you want to clear space on your device, Google Photos gives you an easy “Free up space” button that will delete pictures from your phone after uploading them. 

It’s features like this that give Google Photos a slight advantage over Amazon Photos. That being said, if you’re already an Amazon Prime member and want to save your pictures at full quality, then Amazon Photos might make a little more sense for you.

iCloud vs. Google Photos

Deciding between these two services isn’t as easy, since they offer a lot of the same functionality. The great thing about Google Photos is that it’s platform-agnostic, meaning it works on Android devices just as well as it works on iOS. That means you’ll never have to worry about your photo library because it lives in Google Photos and can be downloaded to almost any type of device.

That said, the fact that iCloud is native only to iOS is actually a good thing and makes it more convenient to use than Google Photos. All you have to do is turn iCloud Photos on, and everything in your Photos app will sync with the cloud. That’s it.  There’s no second app you have to use to manage your photo library. You don’t have to worry about remembering to free up space. Everything works with iCloud and the Photos app as it should, without any additional effort from you.

Amazon Photos vs. iCloud

Amazon Photos offers a lot of features similar to iCloud and Google Photos. Features like facial recognition, organizing photos by locations, and even auto-creating memories from your pictures. And if you’re solely looking for a backup for all of your photos, then you can’t beat the free unlimited storage Amazon Photos offers to Prime members. 

When Amazon Photos might not work for you is if you have a lot of videos you want to backup or if you’re not already a Prime member. There’s also the inherent benefit of iCloud being part of iOS; it’s not an additional app that you have to worry about, like with Amazon Photos.

So what’s the best photo storage app, all things considered?

Taking everything into consideration, the best photo storage option is iCloud. Because all of its features are native on your iPhone, iCloud is the most convenient option and will be the easiest to use in the long run. Especially if you’re trying to keep multiple devices like a phone, computer, and tablet in sync. 

What’s the best free photo storage app?

If you’re looking purely for the best free option, you can’t go wrong with Google’s unlimited photo storage. While it does slightly compress your pictures and videos, it doesn’t compress them all that much. In fact, the loss of quality is so minimal that you’ll probably have to look at photos side-by-side to even notice any degradation.

Whether you want to back up your photo library or you’re just trying to free up space on your phone, there are some great cloud-based storage options. If you’re not entirely sure what to look for when you’re signing up, it can seem a little confusing at first. Hopefully, this article has helped you understand the differences and determine which photo storage app will work best for you when choosing between Amazon Photos, Google Photos, and iCloud. 

The post Amazon Photos, Google Photos, or iCloud? Photo storage apps compared appeared first on Backlight.

Keep reading to learn how you can share your pics with iCloud Photos and to see everything else you can do with this feature.

How to share photos on iCloud with friends and family

Starting with the release of iOS 12, Apple rebranded this feature as simply Shared Albums. So depending on what iOS you’re using, you may see Shared Albums or iCloud Photo Sharing. But that aside, sharing photos couldn’t be any easier. The only thing you need to do is make sure everyone you want to share with has this feature enabled on their devices.

How to set up iCloud Photo Sharing

Follow these simple steps to start sharing with iCloud Photos:

1. On your iPhone, open the Settings app.
2. Tap Photos.
3. Turn on Shared Albums. Note: In iOS 11 or older, turn on iCloud Photo Sharing.

How to share an existing photo album on iPhone 

If you’ve already created a photo album but now want to share it, you’ll have to copy the photos to a new Shared Album. This might sound a little tedious at first, but I promise, it’s pretty easy. Just follow these steps to share your existing photo albums:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Tap the album you want to share.
3. Tap Select > Select All.
4. Hit the Share icon in the bottom left.
5. In the popup menu, tap Add to Shared Album.
6. Tap Shared Album > New Shared Album. Note: You can also add pictures to an existing Shared Album instead of creating a new album.
7. Title your Shared Album and tap Next.
8. Add people you want to share the album with.

How to create a shared album on iPhone

To create a new Shared Album directly on your iPhone, just follow these steps:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Tap Albums > + > New Shared Album.
3. Give your new album a name and hit Next.
4. Add the friends and family members you want to share the album with, then tap Create.

How to accept a shared album invite

If someone else wants to share an album with you, you’ll have to accept the invitation before you start seeing their pictures and videos. To accept an invite:

1. Go to your Photos app.
2. Tap the For You tab. The invite should appear at the top of the list. 
3. Tap Accept.

How to access a shared album on iPhone

Like iCloud Photos, Shared Albums are integrated directly into the Photos app on your iPhone. To access Shared Albums, you just need to:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Tap the Albums tab.
3. Scroll to the Shared Albums section.

Why can’t I share an album? 

If you’re running into a problem while sharing an album with iCloud, here are a couple of other common issues and what you can do to fix them.

• It’s a private album. You may have inadvertently created a private album instead of a shared one. You can follow the instructions from earlier to share the album with friends.
• Shared Albums aren’t enabled. Follow the instructions above to make sure Shared Albums are turned on.
• Check your Wi-Fi network. If your iPhone doesn’t have a great Wi-Fi connection, it won’t be able to upload or share pictures with iCloud. Try changing networks or switching to cellular data.
• Make sure iCloud Photos is working. You can check Apple’s System Status page to see if iCloud is up.

Why can’t I see the photos in a shared album? 

If you’re having trouble viewing pictures in a Shared Album, here are some things that could be causing that issue.

• Your iPhone doesn’t meet system requirements. Shared Albums require at least iOS 7 or higher.
• Cellular data is blocked for Photos. Allow Photos to use cellular data by going to Settings > Cellular and turning on Photos.
• iCloud Photos is down. Use Apple’s System Status page to make sure iCloud Photos is up.
• The Wi-Fi connection is poor. Try connecting your iPhone to a different Wi-Fi network or using your cellular data.

How to share photos between your devices with My Photo Stream

If you’re looking to share your photo library between all of your own personal devices, rather than sharing with friends and family, then you might want to consider My Photo Stream. It automatically and wirelessly syncs your recent pictures across all of your devices.

What is My Photo Stream, and how does it work?

The great thing about My Photo Stream is that it doesn’t use any of your iCloud storage, so you don’t have to worry about space when you’re using it. The downside is that it only syncs your last 1,000 pictures for up to 30 days. So while your recent pictures will automatically show up on all your devices, if you want to save them on a particular device, you’ll have to manually save the photos.

How to share photos using My Photo Stream

The first step to sharing photos across your devices is to make sure you have My Photo Stream enabled on all of them. To turn My Photo Stream on:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Photos.
3. Turn on Upload to My Photo Stream.

My Photo Stream will then appear in your Photos app as its own album. When you want to save a picture, simply find it in the My Photo Stream album and tap the Share icon > Save Image.

Sharing photos with friends and family or even across your own devices is super simple thanks to all the great features of iCloud Photos and My Photo Stream. And when you’re using those features on your iPhone, they’re all conveniently integrated into the Photos app. Now you can share your pictures privately without worrying about them being all over your social media accounts for everyone to see.

The post iCloud Photo Sharing: How to share iPhone photos on iCloud appeared first on Backlight.

Thankfully, Apple has a cloud-based photo service, My Photo Stream, that’s designed to help keep your most recent photos in sync across all of your devices. Keep reading for a deep dive into My Photo Stream and see what separates it from Apple’s more robust photo service, iCloud Photos.

Understanding My Photo Stream

If you have My Photo Stream turned on, it gets rid of all of the headaches and hassles that come with transferring your pictures back and forth across your devices. Still, it’s not without flaws and may not be suited for all of your needs. Let’s take a closer look at how My Photo Stream works and what it works for. 

What is Photo Stream on iPhone?

My Photo Stream looks like any other photo album in the Photos app. It allows you to view all of your most recent pictures and videos, no matter what device you took them with. For example, if you take a picture using your iPhone, My Photo Stream will automatically sync it across all your Apple devices so that the next time you pick up your iPad, you’ll see that picture in your Photo Stream.

There are some limitations to My Photo Stream. It only saves your last 1,000 pictures for 30 days. So, while My Photo Stream doesn’t save your photo library in its entirety, it does guarantee that regardless of which device you’re using, you’ll always have your most recent pictures saved.

How My Photo Stream can help you

One of the most significant ways My Photo Stream can help is with improving your photo editing workflow. Shortly after you take a picture on your iPhone, you’ll see it in your Photo Stream on your computer without ever physically connecting the two. From there, you can make any edits or just organize it in the library on your computer. 

This is obviously a much simpler way to sync pictures between devices, but it’s also a huge time-saver — provided you’re on a reliable Wi-Fi network.

What’s the difference between iCloud Photos and My Photo Stream?

If you’re familiar with using iCloud Photos and think that My Photo Stream sounds very similar, you’re not wrong. The best way to differentiate the two is to think of Photo Stream as a way of syncing your latest pictures between all of your devices, while iCloud Photos is more about syncing and backing up your entire photo library.  

Because iCloud Photos syncs everything in your library, it doesn’t have the same limitations as Photo Stream. It can sync pictures older than 30 days and supports Live Photos and videos. But you only get 5 GB of storage space for free. If you need more space, you can pay for an upgrade.

My Photo Stream is free and doesn’t have any storage space limitations. So while it doesn’t support Live Photos or videos, it also doesn’t cost you anything to wireless sync your newest pictures between your devices.

Does My Photo Stream use iCloud storage?

My Photo Stream doesn’t utilize any of your iCloud storage, but it does use space locally on each device. That means the same picture is using space on your iPhone, iPad, computer, and wherever else you have My Photo Stream turned on.

Using iPhone’s Photo Stream

The best thing about Photo Stream is that all you have to do is turn it on on all of your devices, and that’s it. My Photo Stream automatically uploads your pictures as you take them or as soon as you have an active internet connection, so you don’t have to give it a second thought.

Before you upload your photos

The number of photos you see in My Photo Stream is limited, so you don’t want to waste that on 15 photos of the exact same thing every time or the screenshots you took and forgot to delete. So before you sync 1,000 of your most recent photos to My Photo Stream, do a quick cleanup with Gemini Photos. 

Here’s how to declutter your iPhone photos before uploading them:

1. Download Gemini Photos on your iPhone.
2. Launch it and grant it access to your photo library.
3. Tap similar > current month.
4. Go through groups of similar photos, mark the ones you don’t want, and tap Move to Trash.
5. Then tap Your Library and go to Screenshots, Notes or Blurred.
6. All the screenshots, photos of text, and blurry photos will be pre-selected. Review them and tap Delete All.

You can also go through your videos in the Videos module and delete the ones you don’t want, as well as head to Other and swipe through all of your photos to get rid of those you don’t like.

How to access My Photo Stream

On your iPhone, you’ll be able to access My Photo Stream directly in the Photos app. 

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Tap Albums.
3. Tap My Photo Stream.

If you don’t see an album called My Photo Stream, make sure you don’t have iCloud Photos and My Photo Stream both turned on. If you have both enabled, your pictures will appear in the Recents album instead.

How to turn on and turn off My Photo Stream

Fortunately, the process is the same for iPhone and iPad. Just follow these steps to turn My Photo Stream on or off on an iOS device.

1. On your device, open Settings.
2. Tap on your Apple ID account.
3. Tap iCloud > Photos.
4.  Switch Upload to My Photo Stream on or off.

If you want to turn My Photo Stream on and off on your Mac:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Click Photos > Preferences > iCloud.
3. Check the box next to My Photo Stream.

And finally, if you want to turn My Photo Stream on or off with your Windows PC:

1. Open the iCloud for Windows app.
2. Sign in to your iCloud account if you’re not already signed in.
3. Next to Photos, click Options.
4. Select the checkbox next to My Photo Stream.
5. Click Done. 

Troubleshooting My Photo Stream

If you don’t see your most recent pics from your other devices when you open your Photo Stream, there could be a couple of different issues at play. Below are some common problems and what you can do to fix them.

If you’re looking for a specific picture, remember that My Photo Stream only keeps your last 1,000 pictures for 30 days. 

How do I get My Photo Stream to update?

Here are some of the more common issues and fixes you can try to get your Photo Stream updated:

• Use the same Apple ID. My Photo Stream only syncs with the Apple ID it’s connected to; ensure that you’re logged into the same Apple ID on all of your devices.
• Turn on My Photo Stream on all devices. Even though your iPhone might have My Photo Stream enabled, your other devices might not.
• Connect your iPhone to Wi-Fi. Keep your iPhone connected to a Wi-Fi network. My Photo Stream won’t update using cellular data.
• Plug your iPhone into power. My Photo Stream can’t sync if the device’s battery is below 20%.

Why did My Photo Stream disappear?

If you’ve been using My Photo Stream but suddenly notice that the album has disappeared, here are a couple of possible reasons:

• You turned on iCloud Photos. If you have both My Photo Stream and iCloud Photos turned on at the same time, then all of your pics will appear in the Recents album.
• You signed in with a different Apple ID. As mentioned earlier, if you change the Apple ID you’re using, then your Photo Stream will disappear.
• You accidentally turned off My Photo Stream. You can turn My Photo Stream back on by going to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos and tap the Upload to My Photo Stream switch.

My Photo Stream is a great feature that allows you to keep all of your most recent pictures in sync across all of your devices. It saves you time transferring pictures back and forth, especially if you like to use your iPhone camera to take pics and then edit them on your computer. And hopefully, you’ll be able to use My Photo Stream to make your process easier and faster.

The post How to access your recent photos anywhere with My Photo Stream appeared first on Backlight.

If you’re starting to run out of space on iCloud, the obvious answer may seem like paying to upgrade your account. Keep reading to see what other steps you can take first to free up space and to learn about what else is stored in your iCloud — and what might be taking up a lot of storage without you realizing it.

Why is my iCloud storage full?

If you’re not familiar with iCloud, you might not realize what’s taking up all your storage space. Because iCloud is used for iPhone or iPad backups, as well as to store your entire photo library, the 5GB you get with a free iCloud account may not be enough. 

Some of the data that you can sync to iCloud includes:

• Photos
• Videos
• iPhone/iPad Backups
• Contacts
• Calendars
• Files
• Photos
• Notes
• Safari data (bookmarks, reading lists, and passwords)

How to see what’s in your iCloud storage

Thankfully, it’s easy to manage your iCloud storage directly on your iPhone (no computer required). To check what’s taking up so much space on your iCloud account:

1. On your iPhone, open Settings.
2. Tap [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage.

At the top of the screen, you’ll see what’s taking up space on your iCloud account based on categories. And then, further down on this screen, you’ll see how much storage space each app specifically is using.

How to clear iCloud storage

Just because you’re starting to run out of space on iCloud doesn’t mean your only option is to pay to upgrade your account. There are actually quite a few steps you can take to clean and free up some of your iCloud storage.

• Clean up your photo library.
• Delete old backups.
• Remove old files.
• Clean up text messages.
• Delete unused app data.
• Empty your trash.

Step 1. Clean up your photo library

When you have iCloud Photos turned on, every picture and video you take automatically gets synced. But the same is true for all those other photos you took where the angle was bad or it came out blurry. And actually, the same is true for every screenshot you’ve taken; it all gets automatically synced to iCloud.

Fortunately, you can use our very own app, Gemini Photos, to scan your photo library and quickly remove the pictures you don’t want anymore. Before you start cleaning up your library, it’s important to double-check that iCloud Photos is turned on on your phone by going to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos. Then start cleaning up your photo library using Gemini Photos.

1. Download Gemini Photos from the App Store.
2. Open the app and let it scan your library.
3. Tap Similar.
4. Your similar photos will be grouped together by month. Tap on a month, then tap on a group of pictures to start with.
5. Select which ones to get rid of.
6. Tap Move to Trash.
7. Once you’ve gone through the similar pictures, tap Similar > Your Library.
8. Now you can clean up other categories like Duplicates, Screenshots, Blurry, and more.

Why is my iCloud storage full after deleting photos?

As a safety feature, iCloud will hold onto your photos for 30 days in case you delete a picture by accident. So after you’ve used Gemini Photos to clean up, you’ll need to also remove them from your Recently Deleted section in Photos.

1. On your iPhone, open Photos.
2. Tap Albums > Recently Deleted.
3. Tap Select > Delete All.
4. Confirm Delete All.

Step 2. Delete outdated backups  

If you have both an iPhone and iPad using the same iCloud account or you regularly upgrade your device each year, then you probably have multiple backup files taking up space on iCloud. You can check what backups you have saved on your iCloud account directly from your phone.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage >Backups.
3.  Tap on the old device backup > Delete Backup.
4. Confirm Delete Backup.

Step 3. Remove old files

One of the great features of iCloud is iCloud Drive. Not only does it keep all of your content in sync across your devices, but it also acts as a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox. But again, the biggest you’re likely to run into is the 5 GB of free storage. 

You can view what’s taking up space in your iCloud Drive using the Files app.

1. Open the Files app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Browse > iCloud Drive.
3. Tap Select and choose the files you want to delete.
4. Tap the trash can icon at the bottom. 

Step 4. Clean up text messages 

If you send a lot of texts in Messages — or, more specifically, if you send a lot of pictures and GIFs — then you could be using up a lot of storage on iCloud without even realizing it. Here’s a quick way to see how much space your individual conversations are taking up:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Messages > Top Conversations.
3. You can delete entire conversations by tapping Edit.
4. Select all of the conversations you want to delete, then tap the trash can icon.

Step 5. Delete unused app data

Other third-party apps that you download from the App Store can also use iCloud to help sync your data across all of your devices. So, if you have an app you don’t use much anymore, you might want to remove that from your iCloud account to save space.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage.
3. Scroll down and tap on the app.
4. Tap Delete Data. 

Step 6. Take out the trash  

When you’re cleaning up, you usually spend so much time sifting through your data that it’s easy to forget that, in most cases, you still have to empty the trash in various apps. But, like pictures in the Photos app, if it’s sitting in the trash and was on your iCloud account, then it’s still eating up storage on iCloud for the time being. Here are a couple of other places you can go back and check.

The Files app on your iPhone:

1. Open the app.
2. Tap Browse > Recently Deleted > Select > Delete All.

If you’re using an @icloud.com account in the Mail app on your iPhone:

1. Open the app.
2. Tap Trash.
3. Tap Edit and then Delete All.

Getting more iCloud storage

If you’ve gotten rid of everything you can from your iCloud account but it’s still not enough, don’t worry. As you read earlier, you can easily upgrade your storage as long as you don’t mind paying a bit for it.

How to buy more iCloud storage

You can buy more iCloud storage directly on your iPhone using your Apple ID.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Change Storage Plan.
3. Choose the storage plan you’d like.
4. Follow the prompts to complete the purchase.

How much does it cost to upgrade iCloud storage?

Apple currently offers three storage tiers. The great thing is that if you’re on a family account, you can choose to share the storage with the other accounts.

• 50 GB for $0.99/month
• 200 GB for $2.99/month
• 2 TB for $9.99/month

Can I get more iCloud storage for free?

The only iCloud storage that you can get for free is the default 5 GB. There is no way to get more iCloud storage for free.

If you’ve been seeing that iCloud Storage Full message, it’s time to clean things up. Hopefully, one of the tips above will help you free up enough space to keep using your free iCloud account. But if that’s not enough for your pictures and videos, you can always upgrade to get more storage.

The post iCloud Storage Full: How to free up space in iCloud for your photos appeared first on Backlight.