How to Turn on Photo Stream and iCloud Photo Sharing GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Software & Apps > Apps
How to Turn on Photo Stream and iCloud Photo Sharing
Choose one or the other — or both
By Daniel Nations Daniel Nations Writer University of Texas at Arlington Daniel Nations has been a tech journalist since 1994. His work has appeared in Computer Currents, The Examiner, and other publications. He is a developer who has published apps in the Apple App Store, Google Play marketplace and Amazon Appstore; he also has worked as a data analyst and DB administrator. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 17, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Apps Best Apps Payment Services What to Know
From iPad home screen, tap Settings > Photos.Turn on iCloud Photos to automatically upload and store all your photos and videos in iCloud.Turn on My Photo Stream if you do not elect to use the iCloud Photo library. This article explains how to turn on iCloud photo sharing and Photo Stream. Information in this article applies to iPads running iOS 12 or iOS 11. How to Turn on Photo Stream and iCloud Photos
Tap Settings on the iPad Home screen. Scroll down the menu located on the left side of the screen and choose Photos. In the screen that opens, you have options to turn on iCloud Photos, My Photo Stream, and Shared Albums. Move the slider next to iCloud Photos (in iOS 12) or iCloud Photo Library (in iOS 11) to the On/green position to automatically upload and store all your photos and videos in iCloud. You can browse, search, and share the photos from any of your devices that use the same Apple ID, as long as the device has a connection to the internet. When you turn on iCloud Photos, you have options. Select Optimize iPad Storage to replace the photos and videos that are physically stored on your iPad with small device-sized versions. The full-resolution versions are located in the iCloud Photo Library and can be accessed or downloaded any time you have an internet connection.Select Download and Keep Originals if you prefer to keep the full-size photos currently stored on your iPad on the device (in addition to in the iCloud Photo Library). This options makes your iPad photos accessible on your iPad even without an internet connection, although it affects the amount of storage that is available on the device. Turn on Upload to My Photo Stream when you are using the iCloud Photo Library on your iPad but want to to keep iCloud Photos turned off on your other devices. Those devices receive only the photos in your My Photo Stream. Turn on My Photo Stream if you do not elect to use the iCloud Photo library and want to place copies of the new photos you took during the previous 30 days on all your Apple devices. This option does not automatically upload them to the iCloud Photo library. This is the option most often chosen by people who do not want their photos stored in the cloud. Turn on Shared Albums to create albums that you share with other people and to subscribe to other people's albums. For example, you may create a shared album with family members. Every time you (or one of your relatives) takes a photo, you have the option to place it in the shared album. When you do, all your relatives receive a notification of its arrival and can view and comment on it. Apple Photo Sharing Methods
Apple dumped Photo Stream for iCloud Photo Library, but it kept the My Photo Stream feature in place for users who wanted an alternative to storing photos on iCloud. Here are the three different photo sharing methods: iCloud Photo Library. The main difference between iCloud Photo Library and My Photo Stream is where the photos are stored. In My Photo Stream, images are stored on your device and pushed to your other devices, where they are also stored locally. With iCloud Photo Library, photos are uploaded to the cloud and stored there where all the devices can access them at will. This ends up saving a lot of space on individual devices, but there is a drawback: If your device isn't connected to the internet, you can't view the photos.My Photo Stream. This service remained the same during the transition to iCloud Photo Library. When it is turned on, My Photo Stream pushes a copy of all new photos and videos made during the previous 30 days to every device that uses the same Apple ID and has My Photo Stream activated. These images are not automatically saved to iCloud.Shared Albums. This is the same feature as Shared Photo Streams with a new name. Shared Albums allows you to invite a group of friends and family to a shared stream. After the group is created, you can share individual photos and videos with everyone in the group. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Delete Photos From the Photo Stream How to Save Storage Space on Your iPad How to Use Photos on Apple TV How to Recover or Undelete a Photo on the iPad How to Access iCloud Photos From Any Apple, Windows, or Android Device How to Quickly Select Multiple Photos in iOS My Photo Stream vs. iCloud Photo Library: What's the Difference? How to Set Your iPad's Background Wallpaper What Is iCloud? And How Do I Use It? The 18 Best Tips to Get More iPad Battery Life (Updated for iPadOS 15.5) How to Set up and Use iCloud on the iPad How to Download Photos from iCloud How to Delete Photos From iCloud (While Keeping Them on Your iPhone) What to Do First With a New iPad How to Download Photos to Your iPad How to Send Photos to Facebook From iPad Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies