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Import only photos and albums to new iPhone 15PM from old iPhone 14PM without iCloud. No other data for apps.
- Thread starter Mity
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HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Do you have this photos & album collection on a Mac? Or is this truly only an iPhone to iPhone transfer? If they are on Mac, simply synching will do it without involving iCloud. Mac was how media like photos was managed with iDevices BEFORE iCloud. It still works just fine. I do it myself.
If only phone-to-phone and only photos is to be moved, I think it's airdrop. But I also think that will be SLOW and I'm not so confident about preserving albums.
If you are done with the 14 completely, you could conceptually purge it as much as possible (delete all third party apps/data, etc leaving only Apple stock apps plus this photo collection and then migrate 14 to 15. Since the Apple apps are already on the new one, only the photo library would switch. I believe- but not 100% sure- you can cable them together to speed this up vs. using wireless/airdrop... like an old Mac firewire to firewire migration.
If you want to preserve 14 as is (including third party app), you could:
And while you say you don't want to use iCloud, you could pay up for however much space your need, upload all photos to iCloud, download all photos from iCloud to 15, then turn off and cancel the paid iCloud space.
I believe the iMazing app could do this too if you want to spend some money on an app.
That's all I can think of that would probably work. Others will probably chime in with other ideas.
If only phone-to-phone and only photos is to be moved, I think it's airdrop. But I also think that will be SLOW and I'm not so confident about preserving albums.
If you are done with the 14 completely, you could conceptually purge it as much as possible (delete all third party apps/data, etc leaving only Apple stock apps plus this photo collection and then migrate 14 to 15. Since the Apple apps are already on the new one, only the photo library would switch. I believe- but not 100% sure- you can cable them together to speed this up vs. using wireless/airdrop... like an old Mac firewire to firewire migration.
If you want to preserve 14 as is (including third party app), you could:
- back it up to a Mac or PC, then
- purge everything as just described,
- backup again, then
- "restore" on the 15 from the later backup, then
- "restore" the older backup to the 14 to put it all back on the 14 as it is now.
And while you say you don't want to use iCloud, you could pay up for however much space your need, upload all photos to iCloud, download all photos from iCloud to 15, then turn off and cancel the paid iCloud space.
I believe the iMazing app could do this too if you want to spend some money on an app.
That's all I can think of that would probably work. Others will probably chime in with other ideas.
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No, I don't have the photos or albums on a Mac. I decided never to use iCloud for photos after this hack: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45354309
I'll see if I can connect the phones via USB-Lightning cable and transfer over just photos.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
If you do have a Mac, the easy option is to import them into your Mac, then attach the 15 to the Mac and sync them to the 15. No iCloud involved. This is how it was done BEFORE iCloud.
And if you are worried about hacks, you can disconnect your Mac from the internet to completely limit these transfers to only your access & control (nobody outside could get to it while disconnected). You could even use the Mac to facilitate the transfer of photos and then delete the photos from the Mac before reconnecting it to the internet... though Mac is quite secure if you have a good password on it and don't share your user area on it with anyone else.
Else, the other ideas I offered have potential.
I don't think many people want to do iPhone to iPhone transfers of "only photos & albums," so I'm not very confident that such an option exists without using a third party app like iMazing which looks like it can probably do it. Perhaps someone else knows a way without using such an app to transfer only Photos & albums but nothing else?
And if you are worried about hacks, you can disconnect your Mac from the internet to completely limit these transfers to only your access & control (nobody outside could get to it while disconnected). You could even use the Mac to facilitate the transfer of photos and then delete the photos from the Mac before reconnecting it to the internet... though Mac is quite secure if you have a good password on it and don't share your user area on it with anyone else.
Else, the other ideas I offered have potential.
I don't think many people want to do iPhone to iPhone transfers of "only photos & albums," so I'm not very confident that such an option exists without using a third party app like iMazing which looks like it can probably do it. Perhaps someone else knows a way without using such an app to transfer only Photos & albums but nothing else?
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I tried using AirDrop but 800 photos was too much and it didn't work. I tried connecting via Lightning to USB-C cable but it didn't work.
I ended up importing the photos into my Macbook but this did not import the albums. Do you know if there's a way to preserve the albums.
BTW - I appreciate your help!
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
I had hoped iPhone albums would import too but a quick search says the only way to preserve them to Mac is by going through iCloud Photos, which you don't want. However, in spite of that, I'm not so sure that iMazing (app) couldn't import the albums too to Mac. You might want to check with their customer service and see if it can do that.
Another search led to an old MacWorld article which says an app called PhotoTransferApp can do it and this tutorial on their website implies it can. They have an email address on that page, so you could email them to confirm the app can do that in 2025 before you commit to it.
Short of possibly third party app support, it looks like you will have to re-create the albums on the Mac. If you do that, I suggest managing your photo collection on your Mac hereafter- including album creations and evolution- and then you can sync all/some/none of them and all/some/none of your photos to your iPhone 15. In other words, let Mac be your "central hub" for managing your media and then sync what you want to your mobile device. I do exactly this and it all works great.
Another search led to an old MacWorld article which says an app called PhotoTransferApp can do it and this tutorial on their website implies it can. They have an email address on that page, so you could email them to confirm the app can do that in 2025 before you commit to it.
Short of possibly third party app support, it looks like you will have to re-create the albums on the Mac. If you do that, I suggest managing your photo collection on your Mac hereafter- including album creations and evolution- and then you can sync all/some/none of them and all/some/none of your photos to your iPhone 15. In other words, let Mac be your "central hub" for managing your media and then sync what you want to your mobile device. I do exactly this and it all works great.
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It's absolutely ridiculous that I'm required to through iCloud and that I can't pick and choose what data I want to transfer over. The whole reason I did this is because I noticed that my new 1TB 15PM felt slower than my 256GB 14PM. So, I decided to just setup the 15PM again as a new device and just retain photos and no other data. And I can't get it to work (without iCloud).
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Welcome to Apple. Control, control, control... and "encouraging" people to use iCloud is much more profitable than letting them do it all without iCloud. I wish they were still "just works" Apple in such ways but "another record quarter" motivations seem to rule all.
Use once of the many cloud backups that aren’t iCloud for your photos. Just pay for one month if you don’t want to keep using it.
I have premium iCloud but I don't want my photos on there at all. I have pictures of my IDs on my phone in case I lose my wallet or don't have it with me. I strongly prefer to keep those on device only.
I was able to slowly AirDrop the photos in small amounts at a time onto my new phone. What a crappy thing to do by Apple. Another reason I hate Tim Cook.
You can’t do a local back up since you’re not using iCloud? Either way you didn’t have your photos backed up. This way, your photos would be able to be transferred and backed up. As someone who lost photos that were important, you don’t want to do this.
You hate Tim Cook because you couldn’t AirDrop all your photos at once? I’m guessing the technology has limitations on file size or count.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t hate Tim, because there’s plenty of reasons to hate the man. I just never heard that reason before.
Agree with you about Apple and the way it tries to persuade you into using iCloud. Other things I don't like are as follows:
a. The iOS updates often screws things up by reorganizing the Photos and albums. It should be up to the user to decide which way to organize the photos.
b. Transferring photos, contacts, etc., across all of one's devices. Yes I figured that one can find the right settings to turn that feature off, but at least in my case I was not aware of it until it was too late. For example, I have an iPad that I only use when in remote locations, so I don't need any of my contacts in it. All I need in there are my cameras user and other manuals, a couple of metal detectors user manuals, etc. I don't need to use iMessage, nor FaceTime, not even when I am at home. I unknowingly ended up transferring Contacts to all my devices
Anyway, I want nothing to do with iCloud. By the way, if the OP has concerns about his backups' security such as syncing his phone to his Mac, he can always choose to encrypt the backups, which in turn require a password only he (or she) can unlock the encrypted data.
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True. I do need a way to back them up. But not being able to back up albums that you create on the iPhone is a real bummer. As @HobeSoundDarryl said, you have to manage the albums in the Photos app on your Mac. However, you can manage those albums in iCloud.
No, I don't hate him for just this. I mean this is just another reason for me to hate Tim Cook because of the limitations he deliberately places on devices. Like limiting RAM to 48GB on the new M4 Pro MBP while allowing 64GB on the M4 Pro mini. Makes no sense except he wants people to upgrade to the unbinned Max chip. Or removing the nano SIM completely from US iPhones but bending over for Xi Jingping and keeping physical dual SIMs for China. Or introducing a failed Touch Bar on the iPhone 16 Pro phones. I wish he would leave.
Only on the phone for now. But given what others have said, I need to find another solution as manually moving files via AirDrop is not sustainable.
Agree with you about Apple and the way it tries to persuade you into using iCloud. Other things I don't like are as follows:
a. The iOS updates often screws things up by reorganizing the Photos and albums. It should be up to the user to decide which way to organize the photos.
b. Transferring photos, contacts, etc., across all of one's devices. Yes I figured that one can find the right settings to turn that feature off, but at least in my case I was not aware of it until it was too late. For example, I have an iPad that I only use when in remote locations, so I don't need any of my contacts in it. All I need in there are my cameras user and other manuals, a couple of metal detectors user manuals, etc. I don't need to use iMessage, nor FaceTime, not even when I am at home. I unknowingly ended up transferring Contacts to all my devices
Anyway, I want nothing to do with iCloud. By the way, if the OP has concerns about his backups' security such as syncing his phone to his Mac, he can always choose to encrypt the backups, which in turn require a password only he (or she) can unlock the encrypted data.
Are iCloud backups encrypted by default? If so, how did those celebrities get their accounts hacked and their private details stolen?
the celebrity icloud hack only happened cause apple makes you use "generic" security questions where the answers are easy to get for celebrities.
There have been other attacks using social engineering for non-celebs also: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/p...u-pleads-guilty-hacking-hundreds-apple-icloud
Social engineering should be called hacking then? It’s like not trusting banks because some people get their money taken out because they give their info to a random in a phone call.
I'm not sure if it's helpful, but I've previously had luck doing what you're trying to do by first copying all the photos to a Windows PC, then in iTunes syncing just the Photos part where it lets you choose a folder on the PC that uploads to your iPhone. Might be able to do it via macOS but I've never tried.
I've always preferred working with the actual photo files rather than through software.
What is not working for the OP following this guide Apple provides to just import photos from one source/device to another?
Use iCloud.
Once photos have transferred, remove iCloud from your 15 and keep photos. Then delete photos from iCloud on your 14.
Or just use iCloud. The only thing insecure about it is using p4ssword or 123456789 to secure your data. Simply create a random string of letters/numbers and never tell anyone what they are.
I’ve never had an issue with it in 10 years.
Once photos have transferred, remove iCloud from your 15 and keep photos. Then delete photos from iCloud on your 14.
Or just use iCloud. The only thing insecure about it is using p4ssword or 123456789 to secure your data. Simply create a random string of letters/numbers and never tell anyone what they are.
I’ve never had an issue with it in 10 years.
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There are a few other solutions that might be useful:
1. Use Windows! If you can’t download the photos to a Mac then the assumption is you have a PC. Just plug in and download. You can also get iMazing for PC. If they won’t redownload just temporarily upload them to OneDrive which to my knowledge has never been hacked.
2. Print them. This sounds sarcastic but beyond the few you have of ID etc the rest are assumed to be valuable family pictures. Why not make a few albums or print some for the wall of your living space?
3. Make a PDF. This applies more to those ID images you have. If you make PDFs of them and then import them into the Books app not only are they synced between Apple devices but if somebody did manage to access your iCloud space they can’t get to the data for the Books app because it’s segregated from iCloud Drive.
4. Lock them in Notes. The same as above, but you can put each image behind a locked Note that needs an additional password on the web or biometrics on your phone to access. An additional layer of security.
5. Archive them. Create iCloud Files backups of them all on your iPhone and then stick them in a Zip. Download these to a USB drive and then copy them over the old fashioned way. You can then re-add them to Photos on the new phone from Files.
1. Use Windows! If you can’t download the photos to a Mac then the assumption is you have a PC. Just plug in and download. You can also get iMazing for PC. If they won’t redownload just temporarily upload them to OneDrive which to my knowledge has never been hacked.
2. Print them. This sounds sarcastic but beyond the few you have of ID etc the rest are assumed to be valuable family pictures. Why not make a few albums or print some for the wall of your living space?
3. Make a PDF. This applies more to those ID images you have. If you make PDFs of them and then import them into the Books app not only are they synced between Apple devices but if somebody did manage to access your iCloud space they can’t get to the data for the Books app because it’s segregated from iCloud Drive.
4. Lock them in Notes. The same as above, but you can put each image behind a locked Note that needs an additional password on the web or biometrics on your phone to access. An additional layer of security.
5. Archive them. Create iCloud Files backups of them all on your iPhone and then stick them in a Zip. Download these to a USB drive and then copy them over the old fashioned way. You can then re-add them to Photos on the new phone from Files.
I just can't trust Apple to actually delete these photos. Are you sure they don't cache somewhere? But it in fact be the only practical option. Or maybe I go back to Android when Pixel finally has an N3E based chip. On Android you can simply plug in the phone to a PC and manage it in File Explorer. Same with music files.