How to delete photostream version but keep local copy?

[bunger]

In iOS 7 I would often take a pic, delete the photo stream/iCloud version, but keep the local copy. And vice versa - after I knew it was in the cloud, I would delete a local copy.

Because ios8 doesn't seem to care what's local vs the ate cloud, how would I do this?

 

[bushido]

apparently you cant and some fools will soon jump in to tell you that its such a great new feature and makes more sense and all kind of BS

 

[bunger]

There is no way to keep one copy and not the other? I hope there is a solution...

 

[Mechayoshi]

Wait how do you even tell what's local and what's not? Am I missing something here?

 

[cynics]

Apple just streamlined photostream in iOS 8 for the way they intended it to work. Its inconvenient for many because they aren't use to using it that way.

They question is, in what way were you using photostream that the new way doesn't allow? And why? Then we can find a solution for your particular needs. I wouldn't wait for Apple to do anything about it.

For example, I was using photostream for a dedicated screensaver collection for my AppleTV. Thats all it did. Now that doesn't work to well because I can't pick and choose which pics I want in the photostream without deleting it from my phone completely. So what I did was start a shared photostream called screensaver and load the pics I want into that. Then use that shared photostream as my screensaver on my AppleTV. It kind of makes more sense this way because I'm loading pictures I want to see not deleting pictures I don't want to see.

 

[Pravda]

When i go to vacation and take 1000 pictures on the iPhone, i wan those pics to stream and copt to my Mac, and then have the ability to erase them from my iPhone.
I only want some pics to remain on my iPhone, i do not need to carry every picture that i have take and will ever take on my iPhone to stay on my iPhone.
The current iOS 8 Photo "all or none system" doesn't make sense to me.

 

[cynics]

When i go to vacation and take 1000 pictures on the iPhone, i wan those pics to stream and copt to my Mac, and then have the ability to erase them from my iPhone.

I only want some pics to remain on my iPhone, i do not need to carry every picture that i have take and will ever take on my iPhone to stay on my iPhone.

The current iOS 8 Photo "all or none system" doesn't make sense to me.

In regards to what you are looking for with your example very little has changed.

Currently in Mavericks you'll want to export your photos off photostream as its only a temporary means of transferring photos like before. Once photos are imported then delete whichever you want off of the phone.

Yes they will disappear off your photostream but that is what it was designed to do from the start.

Photostream is not a storage container for photos. It's not that reliable nor was it that permanent (1000 photos and 30 days). Leaving 1000 photos on there from a vacation would be a very bad idea.

Your example only highlights the misconceptions around photostream and the way it previously was vs the way it is now.

Back to your example with the way it was. If you took 1000 photos on vacation when you got on wifi they would have duplicated into your photostream on the phone (and keep in mind the photostream album was a duplicate album verified at settings > general > usage > photos (storage) > photostream) leaving you with 2000 photos on your phone. That would leave you in the exact same position you are with the way it is now except more work since you'd have twice as many photos to delete.

 

[Pravda]

In regards to what you are looking for with your example very little has changed.

Currently in Mavericks you'll want to export your photos off photostream as its only a temporary means of transferring photos like before. Once photos are imported then delete whichever you want off of the phone.

Yes they will disappear off your photostream but that is what it was designed to do from the start.

Photostream is not a storage container for photos. It's not that reliable nor was it that permanent (1000 photos and 30 days). Leaving 1000 photos on there from a vacation would be a very bad idea.

Your example only highlights the misconceptions around photostream and the way it previously was vs the way it is now.

Back to your example with the way it was. If you took 1000 photos on vacation when you got on wifi they would have duplicated into your photostream on the phone (and keep in mind the photostream album was a duplicate album verified at settings > general > usage > photos (storage) > photostream) leaving you with 2000 photos on your phone. That would leave you in the exact same position you are with the way it is now except more work since you'd have twice as many photos to delete.

Thank you for your reply, but what about iPad? And won't this change once we update Maverick to Yosemite on our Macs?
Sorry, I'm usually able to comprehend this stuff pretty easily, no clue whats going on with me now.

 

[bunger]

I'm not following the logic of the new model either.

For example, I may take pics for work that I want on my phone, but not on my photo stream for everyone else in the house to see. On the other hand, I may take pics of my kids or something outside that I do want them to see.

For me, photo stream is used as a shared container for my families devices and for our 3 Apple tvs.

 

[Puonti]

I'm not following the logic of the new model either.

For example, I may take pics for work that I want on my phone, but not on my photo stream for everyone else in the house to see. On the other hand, I may take pics of my kids or something outside that I do want them to see.

For me, photo stream is used as a shared container for my families devices and for our 3 Apple tvs.

In this situation you turn off My Photo Stream so that photos you don't want to share automatically aren't, and create an iCloud Photo Sharing Album where you can post your family photos. That album is accessible from all of your family's devices as well.

 

[Osamede]

You might be better off doing this via Dropbox camera upload, then selective syncing.

 

[bunger]

So how do I delete photos to clear up local space without somehow deleting the cloud versions?

 

[cynics]

I'm not following the logic of the new model either.



For example, I may take pics for work that I want on my phone, but not on my photo stream for everyone else in the house to see. On the other hand, I may take pics of my kids or something outside that I do want them to see.



For me, photo stream is used as a shared container for my families devices and for our 3 Apple tvs.

This is the main reason it's such a hassle for everyone.

Photostream seeds are your devices with your photos. It's just a convenient way to sync photos. But it's your personal and private photos.

You want to set up a shared photostream to share photos to your family, friends and even to other devices such as a screensaver for an AppleTV.

I'm learning people were using the temporary container and private container of photostream as a sharing tool and then just not using shared photostream or leaving it disabled.

Doesn't it strike you as a little strange you were sharing your "my photostream" but not using "shared photostream"?

 

[cynics]

So how do I delete photos to clear up local space without somehow deleting the cloud versions?

The same way you did it before.

The photostream album on your phone was a duplicate photo. So to save space like you describe you'd have to delete it in 2 places. Now you just need to delete one. So nothing has changed there.

Photostream was/is a temporary place for photos and to be honest it's not all that reliable anyway.

The method you were using for photo backup before should still apply. If photostream was your solution then you found out the hard way just how temporary of a solution it was unfortunately.

 

[bunger]

The same way you did it before.

The photostream album on your phone was a duplicate photo. So to save space like you describe you'd have to delete it in 2 places. Now you just need to delete one. So nothing has changed therel

So if I take a picture, then click on the photos tab and delete the picture, it is only going to delete the local copy? Or you assuming I have created a shared photo stream and am following that model?

 

[bunger]

If I enable photostream, take a picture, and then delete that picture, it definitely deletes everywhere.

It seems the only option is to copy all photostream images to a shared album, turn off photostream, and then manually add any new local pics to the shared album.

Does anyone know whether this is Apple's "official" solution as well? I'm sure they have had to field calls regarding how to delete local images but keep an iCloud copy...

 

[sdilley14]

After tinkering around with my phone, the Photos app, iPhoto on my computer, iCloud settings, and Photo Stream, here is what I've been able to come up with.

I took all of my photos from my iPhone and uploaded them to iPhoto on my MacBook Pro.

I then created a new Photo Stream (I just called it "All Photos). I only added myself on the user list of my Photo Stream.

I selected all of my uploaded photos, hit "Share", and uploaded them all to iCloud. I then added them all to my Photo Stream.

I went into the Photos app on my phone, tapped Shared (bottom, middle), and there was my Photo Stream that I created, with all of the photos I had uploaded.

I then deleted all of my locally stored photos on my iPhone. I started off by just deleting a couple then checking on my Photo Stream to make sure they were still stored and viewable.

Now, whenever I take a photo with my iPhone, it stores locally. It only goes into my Photo Stream if I open the Photos app, tap "Photos" (bottom, left), navigate to the photo, then tap "Share".

If I delete a photo out of my Photo Stream, if I had that photo stored locally on the phone as well, it only deletes out of the Photo Stream - it does not delete the local copy.

 

[bunger]

That's what I found as well. Kind of a pain in the a#% and am not sure what Apple was thinking....

 

[Surf Monkey]

The same way you did it before.

The photostream album on your phone was a duplicate photo. So to save space like you describe you'd have to delete it in 2 places. Now you just need to delete one. So nothing has changed there.

Photostream was/is a temporary place for photos and to be honest it's not all that reliable anyway.

The method you were using for photo backup before should still apply. If photostream was your solution then you found out the hard way just how temporary of a solution it was unfortunately.

Not same as before. Now if you delete it from your phone you also delete it from your photostream and any other devices you have it on. Additionally there's no easy way to tell whether a photo exists on the device or not.

 

[corlando465]

I like it better when photo stream was separate from iphone Picts and ipad Picts but yet I could see either when needed. I take several pictures at work that are only temporary and do NOT want them archived into my family photos.