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When I delete photos off my phone they get deleted off my iCloud, why is this happening?

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When I delete photos off my phone they get deleted off my icloud

I don't want my pics deleted off of Icloud if I delete off my phone....why is this happening.....I have plenty of storage....and want to keep my pics on icloud
 

Rob Phillips

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Re: When I delete photos off my phone they get deleted off my icloud

Welcome to iMore! Unfortunately, that is not how iCloud works in regard to photos. View it like a backup service, not a storage service. It sounds to me like you'd be better served by something like Dropbox, OneDrive, Amazon Prime Photos, or another actual storage service.

If you're trying to free up local storage space, make sure you have iCloud Photo Library enabled in Settings > iCloud > Photos. Select "Optimize iPhone Storage" on that same screen. This will store full resolution photos in iCloud and lesser res versions on your device, thus freeing up some local storage space. No worries, full res versions will download automatically when you open up individual photos.
 

Tartarus

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Hi, welcome to iMore.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204264

Here is a little something to get you acquainted with iCloud Photo Library.

As you already noticed, iCloud Photo Library is just a mirror of the pictures on your phone.

You could go into Settings > Photos & Cameras and enable Optimize iPhone Storage so that your photos won't take much storage.

But you could also use Dropbox/Google Drive/OneDrive/Box and such to store your photos. Those apps don't get your photos deleted from the cloud if you delete them on the phone.

You could also try to enable Photostream in settings.

I hope one of these options help you. But if you have any questions, please take time to join iMore and ask away. We're glad to be of help.
 
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TwitchyPuppy

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Re: When I delete photos off my phone they get deleted off my icloud

That's not possible, unfortunately.

I also have that option BUT I use Google Photos which syncs with my phone library.
So I can keep the photos I really want there!
 

Khizer Hayat2

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Re: When I delete photos off my phone they get deleted off my icloud

What are the benefits of using photostream? What if I delete photos from my camera roll will they stay in photostream? And how can I keep those photos on my PC?

Sorry for asking too many questions
 

robertk328

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Re: When I delete photos off my phone they get deleted off my icloud

What are the benefits of using photostream? What if I delete photos from my camera roll will they stay in photostream? And how can I keep those photos on my PC?

Sorry for asking too many questions

No, they won't stay. It's not a backup, but a means of syncing or sharing photos. A photo taken on my iPhone shows up on my Mac instantly. I share a photo to an album and it shows up on my wife and in-laws devices. If you want it as a backup, use another service (like dropbox)
 

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