Facebook Enables 'Photo Sync' for All iOS Users

MacRumors · Nov 30, 2012, 02:51 PM

Facebook is rolling out its new Photo Sync feature to its iOS users that automatically uploads all photos taken on the iPhone to a private photo album on Facebook. The idea is to make it easier and faster for users to share photos with their friends.

Quote:

When you turn on photo syncing, your mobile photos will be saved to a private section of your Facebook Photos. You can easily share your synced photos on your timeline from desktop, mobile, or another device.

[...]

Only you can see the photos you've synced from your phone. Your photos are saved privately in a section of your Facebook Photos that only you can see. When you view your synced photos, you can choose shots to share or send in a private message.

Facebook's support site has much more about Photo Sync. Facebook is using background uploads within the Facebook iOS app to move the photos, not anything special with location APIs or Apple's iOS 6 Facebook integration.

The app is very clear that all photos uploaded automatically are marked as private and cannot be viewed by others until specifically shared by the user. Users get 2 GB of complimentary photo storage.

Article Link: Facebook Enables 'Photo Sync' for All iOS Users

Whatsit · Nov 30, 2012, 02:53 PM

Wow, no. For people who are 100% confident that they will never have an embarrassing photo of themselves or any of their friends on their phone, this sounds like a great option.

I am not one of those people.

(Yes, I know Facebook says all the photos will be private. Facebook says lots of things about privacy.)

John.B · Nov 30, 2012, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MsWhatsit

Wow, no. For people who are 100% confident that they will never have an embarrassing photo of themselves or any of their friends on their phone, this sounds like a great option.

I am not one of those people.

(Yes, I know Facebook says all the photos will be private. Facebook says lots of things about privacy.)

Don't worry about your photos of yourself. Worry about your friends' photos of you.

gpat · Nov 30, 2012, 02:53 PM

1984 is now.

gmanist1000 · Nov 30, 2012, 02:53 PM

I could see this going very wrong. Good thing it's a private album.

Boatboy24 · Nov 30, 2012, 03:08 PM

.

Fukui · Dec 1, 2012, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmanist1000

I could see this going very wrong. Good thing it's a private album.

Don’t they state in their terms of use that whatever you upload belongs to them or something? Hmm, private or not, don’t like the idea that they “own” what you do... by default.

nsayer · Dec 1, 2012, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmanist1000

I could see this going very wrong. Good thing it's a private album.

How does that help? The likelihood of Facebook being hacked is decidedly non-zero.

macs4nw · Dec 2, 2012, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krspkbl

Awesome! I can't wait to use this.

Do I sense a little sarcasm there, cause if not, "Go for it". But you might just be sorry, sometime in the future.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThunderSkunk

Wow, how convenient....for them. To own and use any and all photos on your iphone at their discretion. Just barely on the "questionable" side of seedy.

My sentiments exactly. A thinly-veiled grab at control over people's good, or sometimes embarrassing pictures, on a massive scale. Until they change the TOU, I'll pass.

addersop · Dec 2, 2012, 03:54 AM

Someone, somewhere at FB, is whacking off to your "private" photos thanks to this lovely sync "feature".

MAKRUMORS · Dec 2, 2012, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by addersop

Someone, somewhere at FB, is whacking off to your "private" photos thanks to this lovely sync "feature".

no this is not true

///M5 · Nov 30, 2012, 02:53 PM

You must be nuts to enable this.

FoxBJK · Nov 30, 2012, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ///M5

You must be nuts to enable this.

The average user will see this as a huge convenience; especially the people who just upload everything to the internet anyways

bogmonster · Nov 30, 2012, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FoxBJK

The average user will see this as a huge convenience; especially the people who just upload everything to the internet anyways

The average user is also highly susceptible to email requests from Elbonian bureaucrats looking for people to help transfer funds, as well... ;-)

huggyb · Nov 30, 2012, 03:21 PM

didn't google do this recently with G+ by just autosharing all mobile photos to G+ until people flipped out about it?

animatedude · Nov 30, 2012, 03:30 PM

when the message showed up on the iPhone App i clicked on it then it started uploading all my photos on my iPhone! i almost **** my pants!

Facebook you are rubbish!

they should have a Yes or No option before pix start uploading to your profile.

OldSchoolMacGuy · Nov 30, 2012, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by huggyb

didn't google do this recently with G+ by just autosharing all mobile photos to G+ until people flipped out about it?

Yes the Google+ app will automatically upload all your pictures unless you tell it not to.

Facebook and Google both make their money by having as much information about you as possible. The more they get, the more they can sell it and make. It also ties you to them so they don't lose you as a revenue stream. If all your information is on their site, it makes it a big pain to take it all and move it elsewhere so most people won't bother and will just stay.

kirky29 · Nov 30, 2012, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FoxBJK

The average user will see this as a huge convenience; especially the people who just upload everything to the internet anyways

I agree, actually I was one of the 'lucky' ones and have been uploading for the week now, it really is convenient to have them all upload. Just wish their was an option on the sidebar for quicker/easier access. And it'd be nice to be able to rotate the pictures!

I don't think I'll use it for long, but could see me setting this up for my mom, she almost lives on Facebook and always complains she doesn't understand how to get photos from her iPhone to her MacBook, this would be great for her.

kuwxman · Nov 30, 2012, 04:17 PM

Google+ has had this feature for quite awhile now. All pictures are uploaded to a private album. Way to be a follower, facebook.

John.B · Dec 1, 2012, 02:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kuwxman

Google+ has had this feature for quite awhile now. All pictures are uploaded to a private album. Way to be a follower, facebook.

Nominated for "Ironic Post of the Week."

autrefois · 08:27 AM

*EDIT: According to avanpelt's post and other reports, it appears to be opt-in. Thank you for the clarification. Although I still stand by my arguments against it ever being opt-out, this is not the case currently. I had read that Google+ was not and Facebook's description of the feature doesn't make this clear. It's apparently opt-in though; that's the way it should be, and let's hope it stays that way.

*How can it possibly be legal for an application to upload all your photos without your permission?

One day, the application doesn't upload all your photos. The next day, it does. When you download updates, there is not a new TOS you have to sign granting it permission to do so. Even if there is some legalese buried in the original TOS that allows them to do this in future, any change that so egregiously infringes on consumer privacy should at the very least be required to be opt-in.

If you like the idea and think it's an exciting new addition, fine -- there can be an option click to allow Facebook to upload all your photos. This should not be the default; they do not own my phone or my photos.

avanpelt · Nov 30, 2012, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by autrefois

How can it possibly be legal for an application to upload all your photos without your permission?

I believe you do explicitly have to give permission. When I launched the Facebook app earlier today, it prompted me to either "Try it" or "Cancel" the new syncing feature. I opted to cancel.

When I go to my profile in the Facebook app and tap Photos, there is now a third tab at the bottom, "Synced". I have to explicitly click the "Sync Photos" button under that tab before the feature is enabled. I suspect you're able to revoke the syncing at any time, but I'm sure Facebook will keep multiple copies of any photo that's previously been uploaded to their servers.

Mad Mac Maniac · Nov 30, 2012, 02:54 PM

Cue the all the "Oh no the sky is falling, facebook is evil, and who would ever want that?!" comments...

krspkbl · Nov 30, 2012, 02:55 PM

Awesome!

I can't wait to use this.

Prof. · Nov 30, 2012, 02:57 PM

Now we wait to see someone's nudes appear on fb...

Nov 30, 2012, 02:53 PM	#2
Whatsit macrumors newbie Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Columbus, OH	Wow, no. For people who are 100% confident that they will never have an embarrassing photo of themselves or any of their friends on their phone, this sounds like a great option. I am not one of those people. (Yes, I know Facebook says all the photos will be private. Facebook says lots of things about privacy.)
	34

Nov 30, 2012, 02:53 PM	#4
gpat macrumors 6502a Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Italy	1984 is now. __________________ 13" MBP 2011, Galaxy Note 2 (oh noes i automatically become an apple hater) (Sorry for bad english, not my mother tongue!)
	6

Nov 30, 2012, 02:53 PM	#5
gmanist1000 macrumors 68000 Join Date: Sep 2009	I could see this going very wrong. Good thing it's a private album. __________________ Tech Reviews on YouTube http://goo.gl/3zjZP Latest Video: iOS 7: First Look & Hands On!
	2

Dec 2, 2012, 03:54 AM	#10
addersop macrumors newbie Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Leeds, England	Someone, somewhere at FB, is whacking off to your "private" photos thanks to this lovely sync "feature". __________________ 15" MacBook Pro 2.4GHz, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT 16gb iPhone 3G 60gb iPod 5 gen iPod Shuffle 2gb Apple In-Ear Headphones
	0

Nov 30, 2012, 02:53 PM	#12
///M5 macrumors regular Join Date: May 2009	You must be nuts to enable this.
	36

Nov 30, 2012, 03:08 PM	#6
Boatboy24 macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2011	.
	1

Nov 30, 2012, 03:21 PM	#15
huggyb macrumors newbie Join Date: Oct 2007	didn't google do this recently with G+ by just autosharing all mobile photos to G+ until people flipped out about it?
	0

Nov 30, 2012, 03:30 PM	#16
animatedude macrumors 6502a Join Date: Feb 2010	when the message showed up on the iPhone App i clicked on it then it started uploading all my photos on my iPhone! i almost **** my pants! Facebook you are rubbish! they should have a Yes or No option before pix start uploading to your profile.
	3

Nov 30, 2012, 04:17 PM	#19
kuwxman macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Olathe, KS	Google+ has had this feature for quite awhile now. All pictures are uploaded to a private album. Way to be a follower, facebook.
	0

Nov 30, 2012, 04:26 PM	#21
autrefois macrumors 6502a Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Somewhere in the USA	EDIT: According to avanpelt's post and other reports, it appears to be opt-in. Thank you for the clarification. Although I still stand by my arguments against it ever being opt-out, this is not the case currently. I had read that Google+ was not and Facebook's description of the feature doesn't make this clear. It's apparently opt-in though; that's the way it should be, and let's hope it stays that way. How can it possibly be legal for an application to upload all your photos without your permission? One day, the application doesn't upload all your photos. The next day, it does. When you download updates, there is not a new TOS you have to sign granting it permission to do so. Even if there is some legalese buried in the original TOS that allows them to do this in future, any change that so egregiously infringes on consumer privacy should at the very least be required to be opt-in. If you like the idea and think it's an exciting new addition, fine -- there can be an option click to allow Facebook to upload all your photos. This should not be the default; they do not own my phone or my photos. Last edited by autrefois; Dec 2, 2012 at 08:27 AM. Reason: Updated x 2 with further confirmation of it being opt-in
	0

Nov 30, 2012, 02:54 PM	#23
Mad Mac Maniac macrumors 68040 Join Date: Oct 2007	Cue the all the "Oh no the sky is falling, facebook is evil, and who would ever want that?!" comments... __________________ Now I have a Signature!
	5

Nov 30, 2012, 02:55 PM	#24
krspkbl macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: UK	Awesome! I can't wait to use this. __________________ iPhone 4S - 32GB - 6.1.3
	2

Nov 30, 2012, 02:57 PM	#25
Prof. macrumors 68040 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Chicago-ish...	Now we wait to see someone's nudes appear on fb... __________________ $175 billion a year. That's how much it would cost to eradicate global poverty forever. That's it. A small amount when you realize the USA spends $1.5 trillion a year on defense.
	12

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