Apple is about to close the online photo sync service My Photo Stream

The service, which has been around for more than a decade, is designed to allow users to sync sync your photos on Apple devices via an internet connection.

Originally called Photo Stream, this image syncing service was first announced at WWDC 2011. It can automatically upload up to 1,000 recently accessed photos from an iPhone or iPad. to iCloud. These images are then stored on Apple's cloud storage for up to 30 days, as well as automatically downloaded to other devices using the same Apple ID account, including Macs and Windows PCs. . Similarly, new images imported into the iPhoto app on Mac will also be uploaded to the cloud and synced across devices.

However, over time, the role of My Photo Stream gradually became redundant after iCloud Photos appeared, able to support all the same features and even more convenient. While both services support uploading photos to iCloud, you won't be able to access the My Photo Stream image store on the Apple Watch and iCloud websites. On the plus side, uploading photos through My Photo Stream doesn't count towards your iCloud storage. Meanwhile, iCloud Photos always supports uploading all types of media files, as long as you have enough space in iCloud.

On iPhone or iPad, you can save My Photo Stream images to your library by going to Photos > Albums. Here, click on My Photo Stream, then select the desired photos and select Share > Save Image.

Note that you may not see the My Photo Stream option on your device if your Apple ID was created in recent years. Apple says the service will stop accepting new uploads on June 26, while previously uploaded images will remain on iCloud for 30 days before being completely deleted.

From now on, Apple device users can back up photos and videos online, but will need to sign up for an iCloud storage plan or an Apple One subscription. By default, iCloud only comes with 5GB of free online storage shared by all your devices.

David Pac

Update 27 June 2023