On Wednesday, July 26, 2023, Apple will shut down its popular My Photo Stream service. The free service, which temporarily uploads up to 1,000 images to iCloud and makes them accessible on all your Apple devices, will be replaced by iCloud Photos. In this article, you'll learn what this change means for you and how you can make sure your photos are well kept.
With the upcoming retirement of My Photo Stream, Apple is giving users an opportunity to switch to iCloud Photos and continue to manage their images securely and easily. In this article, we want to help you understand how you can benefit from this change and how to transfer your photos safely to iCloud.
What is My Photo Stream?
My Photo Stream, introduced in 2011, allowed you to temporarily upload up to 1,000 images to iCloud so they were available on all Apple devices. After 30 days, the photos were automatically deleted from iCloud. With the introduction of iCloud Photos, the service was later replaced by this more advanced solution.
preparation for the appointment
Apple has already stopped uploading photos to My Photo Stream on June 26, 2023. However, photos uploaded before that date will remain available in iCloud until the shutdown date.
What do you have to do?
If you already use iCloud Photos, you don't need to do anything else because your photos are already safely stored in iCloud. If you're unsure if iCloud Photos is turned on, follow these simple steps on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to check.
On iPhone and iPad
- Open the Settings app and tap your Apple ID in the menu at the top.
- Tap iCloud.
- Make sure Photos has “On” next to it.
On the Mac
- Click the Apple icon in your Mac's menu bar and select System Preferences.
- Click your Apple ID name in the sidebar at the top.
- Click on iCloud.
- Make sure Photos has “On” next to it.
No fear of data loss
If you haven't used iCloud Photos before, you don't have to worry about losing your photos. The images from My Photo Stream are stored in their original quality on at least one of your devices. However, you should be aware that you will lose the ability to access these photos on any device.
Here's how you can proceed
If the photos you want aren't already in your library on a specific device, you can turn on iCloud Photos to get access to all your pictures. Alternatively, you can save the photos you want from My Photo Stream to your photo library before July 26.
Conclusion
With the upcoming retirement of My Photo Stream, there is a great opportunity to switch to iCloud Photos and manage your images safely and conveniently. Make sure your photos are backed up before July 26th to continue to have access to them. iCloud Photos gives you the ability to enjoy your memories on all your Apple devices and offers an efficient way to organize your photo library. Take this opportunity to discover the benefits of iCloud Photos and know that your images are in the best hands. Looking for new accessories? Then take a look in our Amazon Storefront - there you will find numerous products from leading suppliers, also for HomeKit and Co.! (Photo by Bigc Studio / Bigstockphoto)