iCloud Photo Library - what happens when setting up iPhone as new?

[eric3312]

Hello everyone. I have a question that I can't seem to find the answer to. I asked Apple via their chat and the rep seemed a little unsure.

I have an iPhone 6s with about 300 photos on it. I have iCloud Photo Library enabled (Download and keep originals).

I would like to perform a factory reset on my iPhone and set it up as new. I want to do this because my iCloud backup is a mess and I just want to start fresh.

My question: if I set up my phone as new and sign into iCloud, will my photos automatically redownload to my device? Or will I be able to access them some way?

Thank you in advance for your time today!

 

[bushido]

you simply have to enable iCloud Photo Library again and it will start downloading your pics i do it every few months

 

[eric3312]

That's awesome! Do you know if it only downloads over WiFi? I would assume so...especially since some people (like my wife) have more than 50 gb of photos.

 

[Nolander07]

Yes, it's over wifi only and can take anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days to completely upload all of the pictures.

 

[inkahauts]

Yeah it just downloads then nicely.

Not sure why or how your iCloud backup can be a mess though. Especially since you could erase it and have it start over instead of your phone...

 

[zorinlynx]

Do this before going to bed so that your phone can be plugged in on wifi and rebuild the library over night.

It won't rebuild with the screen off unless you're plugged in.