Apple is killing ‘My Photo Stream.’ Should you care?

Apple users are receiving emails about the discontinuation of "My Photo Stream." The email explains that uploads ceased on June 26th, and all photos will be removed on July 26th. Should you worry about lost pictures?

No. Your photos remain safe on the device where they were originally captured. They're also likely already backed up to iCloud, either through a paid subscription or your 5GB of free storage. So what's actually changing? Let's clarify.

Understanding My Photo Stream

Apple's email assumes familiarity with "My Photo Stream," a service many users may not recognize, leading to widespread confusion.

In short, My Photo Stream was a free Apple service that synced up to 1,000 of your most recent photos (taken within the past month) across your Apple devices without consuming iCloud storage. This was especially beneficial for iPhone users without a paid iCloud subscription, providing convenient access to recent photos on iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks without using their limited free storage. Downloaded photos needed to be accessed within 30 days.

[Related: Explore iOS 16's lock screen customization options]

You'll find My Photo Stream in the Photos app, under the "Albums" section (for now). Apple stopped syncing new photos on June 26th. Existing photos remain, but will be deleted from this album by July 26th.

Will your photos be lost?

Apple assures users that no photos will be lost. While the "My Photo Stream" album will disappear, photos will remain on the device where they were taken. Here's a key excerpt from Apple's official statement:

> My Photo Stream photos are already saved on at least one of your devices; therefore, as long as you have the original device, you won't lose any photos.

Essentially, your photos are safe on the original device. iCloud also provides a backup. Only the "My Photo Stream" album itself will be removed.

What alternatives are available?

As mentioned, iCloud subscriptions offer seamless photo syncing across Apple devices. While not the cheapest option, it's user-friendly for Apple ecosystems. However, other cloud storage services also support photo backups from Apple devices. Alternatively, you can manually transfer photos from your iPhone to your computer.

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