Imagine losing your iPhone, having it stolen or accidentally damaging it beyond repair. What would happen to all the photographs stored on it?
For many people, their iPhone contains thousands of photographs and videos of family, friends, holidays and special occasions. Some of these memories may be impossible to replace.
Don’t assume your iPhone photos are backed up!
Apple provides only 5GB of free iCloud storage. If that space is full, new photos may stop uploading. If your iPhone is lost or damaged, photos that haven’t uploaded could be lost permanently.
Many iPhone owners assume their photographs are automatically backed up to iCloud. However, there is an important detail that catches many people out:
Apple only provides 5GB of free iCloud storage. Once that space is used, you may need to pay for an iCloud+ subscription to store all your photographs and other data.
If your iCloud storage is full, new photographs may not upload. This means they could still be stored only on your iPhone.
If that phone is lost, stolen or damaged, you could lose those photographs permanently.
In this guide, we’ll explain how iCloud Photos works, how to check whether your photographs are actually synchronising, and how to make sure your photos are available on your iPhone, Mac and iPad.
1. Why you could lose all the photographs on your iPhone
Your iPhone stores photographs and videos in its Photos library. Unless those photographs have been synchronised to iCloud or copied somewhere else, they may exist only on that device.
This is where iCloud Photos can help.
When correctly configured, iCloud Photos uploads your photographs and videos to Apple’s iCloud service. They can then be accessed through the Photos app on your other Apple devices.
For example:
- Take a photograph using your iPhone.
- Your iPhone uploads the photograph to iCloud.
- The photograph becomes available in the Photos app on your Mac.
- The same photograph also appears on your iPad.
If your iPhone is subsequently lost or damaged, photographs that have successfully uploaded to iCloud should still be available through your other devices or by signing in to iCloud online.
But there is a catch. Your photographs will only be protected this way if they have actually uploaded to iCloud. Simply turning on iCloud Photos does not mean everything has been safely stored.
2. The 5GB iCloud storage trap
This is probably the most important thing every iPhone owner should understand.
Apple provides just 5GB of free iCloud storage with an Apple Account.
That storage is shared between several services, including:
- iCloud Photos.
- iCloud Drive.
- iPhone and iPad backups.
- Messages and other iCloud data.
Five gigabytes might sound like a reasonable amount, but it doesn’t take long to fill it with photographs and videos.
In terms of photos alone it represent approx 1000 – 1500 photos
Modern iPhones can take high-resolution photographs and large video files. A collection of holiday photographs, family videos and everyday snapshots can quickly exceed the free allowance.
When your iCloud storage becomes full, new photographs and videos may stop uploading.
Your iPhone may continue taking photographs as normal, so you might not realise that they are no longer being stored in iCloud.
This is why it is important to check your iCloud storage rather than simply assuming your photographs are backed up.
How to check your iCloud storage
On your iPhone:
- Open Settings.
- Tap your name at the top of the screen.
- Select iCloud.
- Look at the storage usage displayed on the screen.
- Check whether your iCloud storage is nearly full or completely full.
You can also select Manage Account Storage to see which services are using your available space.
If you have used all your free storage, you may need to upgrade to a paid iCloud+ plan.
Apple offers several storage options, with the available plans and prices depending on your country and current Apple pricing.
Don’t assume that because you have iCloud Photos switched on, your photographs are all safely stored. Check that you have enough available storage and that synchronisation has completed.
3. How to set up iCloud Photos on your iPhone
If you want your photographs to upload automatically to iCloud, you need to enable iCloud Photos.
Follow these steps:
- Open Settings on your iPhone.
- Tap your name at the top of the screen.
- Select iCloud.
- Select Photos.
- Turn on Sync this iPhone.
Open Photos, scroll to the bottom of the library and all being well, you should see the total number of photos on your iPhone.
Your iPhone will now start synchronising your photo library with iCloud.
If you have thousands of photographs and videos, the initial upload may take some time. A large library can take several hours or longer, depending on your internet connection.
It is generally best to leave your iPhone connected to Wi-Fi and charging while the initial upload takes place.
What about Optimise iPhone Storage?
You may also see an option called Optimise iPhone Storage.
This is useful if your iPhone is running short of storage space.
When enabled, your iPhone can keep smaller, space-saving versions of photographs on the device while the original full-resolution versions are stored in iCloud. The originals can be downloaded when needed.
The alternative is Download and Keep Originals, which keeps full-resolution copies on your iPhone as well as in iCloud. This uses more storage on your phone.
For most people with a large photo library, Optimise iPhone Storage is a sensible choice.
Remember that optimising storage does not reduce the amount of iCloud storage required for your photo library.
4. How to check that your photographs have actually uploaded
Once you have enabled iCloud Photos, don’t just assume everything has uploaded successfully.
Open the Photos app on your iPhone and look for the synchronisation status. Depending on your iOS version, you can usually find this by opening your photo library and checking the account or profile information.
Look for messages indicating that synchronisation is complete, still in progress or paused.
If your iCloud storage is full, you may see a warning that synchronisation cannot continue.
You should also check that your iCloud account has sufficient available storage.
If you have just enabled iCloud Photos for the first time, allow enough time for the initial upload to finish.
Until the upload is complete, you should not assume that all your photographs are safely available in iCloud.
Compare the total number of photos on your iphone and by logging into photos in icloud using another device or computer. When the total numbers are the same, you know the syncing has completed and your photos are backed up.
5. Set up iCloud Photos on your Mac
One of the advantages of iCloud Photos is that you can view your iPhone photographs on your Mac without connecting your phone or manually transferring files.
On your Mac:
- Open the Photos app.
- Click Photos in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
- Select Settings (or Preferences on older versions of macOS).
- Select the iCloud tab.
- Enable Sync this Mac or iCloud Photos, depending on your macOS version.
Your Mac should now synchronise its Photos library with iCloud.
Optimise Mac Storage
You may also see two storage options:
- Download Originals to this Mac
- Optimise Mac Storage
If you have plenty of storage space on your Mac and want full-resolution copies kept locally, choose Download Originals to this Mac.
If your Mac has limited storage, choose Optimise Mac Storage.
With optimisation enabled, macOS can keep smaller versions of photographs on your Mac while the full-resolution originals remain in iCloud. The original versions can be downloaded when required.
This is particularly useful if you have thousands of photographs but don’t want them all taking up space on your Mac.
6. Set up iCloud Photos on your iPad
Setting up your iPad is very similar to setting up your iPhone.
- Open Settings on your iPad.
- Tap your name at the top of the screen.
- Select iCloud.
- Select Photos.
- Turn on Sync this iPad.
Your iPad will now synchronise its Photos library with iCloud.
Open the Photos app and allow some time for your photographs to appear.
You should now be able to view photographs taken on your iPhone directly on your iPad and Mac.
Make sure all three devices are signed in to the same Apple Account.
7. What happens if your iPhone is lost, stolen or damaged?
This is where setting up iCloud Photos correctly becomes particularly important.
If your iPhone is lost, stolen or damaged beyond repair, you may lose photographs that exist only on that device.
However, if your photographs have successfully uploaded to iCloud, you should be able to access them from another Apple device or through a web browser.
For example, you can visit:
Sign in using your Apple Account to view your synchronised photographs.
You can also access them by signing in to your Apple Account on a replacement iPhone and enabling iCloud Photos.
Your photographs should then become available as they synchronise.
See How Many Photos Do I have in iCloud?
Remember, this only protects photographs that have successfully uploaded. If your iCloud storage was full and the latest photographs were still only on your lost or damaged iPhone, those photographs may not be recoverable.
8. An important warning: iCloud Photos is not a separate backup
There is another important point that many people don’t realise.
iCloud Photos is primarily a synchronisation service. It keeps the same photo library updated across your devices.
This means that if you delete a photograph from your iPhone, the deletion is also synchronised with iCloud, your Mac and your iPad.
Deleted photographs normally remain in the Recently Deleted album for a limited period, usually 30 days, giving you an opportunity to recover them before permanent deletion.
But if you permanently delete them, they may be gone from all your connected devices.
For this reason, I recommend keeping a separate backup of important photographs.
Some options include:
- Copying important photographs to an external hard drive.
- Keeping a separate photo backup on your Mac.
- Using another suitable backup service.
- Including your Mac’s Photos library in a Time Machine backup, provided the library is stored locally and included in the backup.
A separate backup gives you another way to recover photographs if something goes wrong with your synchronised iCloud library.
9. What if I don’t want to pay for additional iCloud storage?
If you have more photographs than will fit into the free 5GB allowance, you have a few choices.
Option 1 – Upgrade to iCloud+
This is generally the simplest option if you want your photographs to synchronise automatically between your iPhone, Mac and iPad.
You pay a monthly or annual subscription, depending on the available plan, for additional iCloud storage.
Option 2 – Transfer photographs to your Mac
You can transfer photographs from your iPhone to your Mac and store them in the Photos library or another suitable location.
This can reduce your reliance on iCloud, but you need to ensure you have a separate backup before deleting anything from your iPhone.
Option 3 – Use an external hard drive
An external hard drive can provide additional space for storing photographs and videos.
However, simply copying photographs to an external drive does not automatically keep them synchronised. You also need to consider making a second backup of important files.
For most people who want their photographs to appear automatically on all their Apple devices, iCloud+ is the most convenient option.
10. The simple checks every iPhone owner should make
I recommend checking the following on your iPhone:
- iCloud Photos is enabled: Go to Settings, your name, iCloud and Photos.
- You have enough iCloud storage: Check whether you are still within the free 5GB allowance or need a paid plan.
- Your photographs have finished uploading: Check the synchronisation status in the Photos app.
- Your other devices are connected: Make sure your Mac and iPad are signed in to the same Apple Account and have iCloud Photos enabled.
- You have a separate backup: Keep another copy of photographs that you cannot afford to lose.
These simple checks can help avoid the unpleasant surprise of discovering that your photographs were never uploaded when you need them most.
Final thoughts: Don’t risk losing your precious photographs
Your iPhone may contain thousands of photographs that record important moments in your life. Losing your phone is inconvenient, but losing all those photographs could be devastating.
The biggest mistake is assuming that iCloud is automatically protecting everything.
Apple provides only 5GB of free iCloud storage, and that space is shared with other services. If you have more data than will fit, you may need an iCloud+ subscription to ensure your photographs can continue uploading.
Take a few minutes to check your settings, confirm that your photographs have actually synchronised and make sure you have enough storage.
For extra protection, keep a separate backup of your important photographs as well.
If you need help setting up iCloud Photos, transferring photographs, managing iCloud storage or backing up your Apple devices, iTech WA can help.
Need help with your computer or technology?
iTech WA provides friendly, professional IT support for homes and small businesses in Bridgetown and the South West.
With more than 40 years of IT experience, I provide practical, plain-English advice and personal service.
Friendly, professional IT support that comes to your door.
