When you have saved your photos to your iCloud, you can view them on all your devices. But can’t you see your iCloud photos on your iPad, for example? Then try these solutions.
Storing your photos in iCloud is extremely handy: you have your photos at hand on all your Apple devices. You also do not have to worry that you will lose all your photos when your device stops working or if you lose it. But what if the synchronization of your photos no longer works on one of your devices? We have listed a number of solutions for you.
1. Check whether synchronization is enabled
First of all, it is important to check whether you have enabled syncing of your photo library. You do this as follows:
- Open your settings app ‘;
- Scroll down and tap Photos;
- Under iCloud you will see a switch next to ‘iCloud Photos’;
- If not already, turn on iCloud Photos.
Also make sure you have a good internet connection and that you are signed in on all your devices with your Apple ID.
2. Check if there is an outage at Apple
To see if the problem is not with Apple itself, it is wise to first check whether there are malfunctions with the iCloud service. To do this, go to Apple’s System Status page. Here you can see all of Apple’s services. If there is a green circle for iCloud and Photos, there is no interference with Apple.
3. Restart your devices
It may sound very basic, but it is possible that synchronization will work again when you restart your devices. The synchronization process can sometimes crash. Turning your devices off and on will restart the process, which may solve the problem.
4. Force synchronization
If your photos are still not visible on all your Apple devices after a restart, you can force the synchronization. It is possible to switch synchronization on and off per device. When the sync process is frozen, force restart it by re-enabling it.
- Open the settings app on your iPad or iPhone;
- Tap Photos;
- Turn off the ‘iCloud Photos’ option;
- Choose ‘Delete from iPhone or iPad’.
Your photos will now be deleted from your device, but will still remain in your photo library in iCloud. Now restart your device, follow the steps above again and turn on ‘iCloud Photos’ again. It is also possible to force synchronization on your MacBook. You do that as follows:
- Open the Photos app on your Mac;
- Click on ‘Preferences’ in the menu bar at the top of the screen;
- Turn off iCloud Photos and delete the photos;
- Restart your MacBook and turn iCloud Photos back on.
Your photos will now be forcibly re-downloaded on all devices where you’ve turned on sync. Open the Photos app and wait for a few seconds. If successful, your Photos will now slowly trickle into the app.
5. Patience is a virtue
If the photos are not directly on your device, please wait patiently first. It can sometimes take a while for the synchronization process to restart completely. Leave your Photos app open for a few hours and wait to see if the photos are uploaded automatically. Make sure that your device is connected to the power.
6. Contact Apple Support
If the above tips do not solve your problem, it is good to contact Apple. Then call 0800-0201581 in the Netherlands. In Belgium you can call 0800-80404 (French) or 0800-80407 (Flemish).
If you live in Luxembourg, please contact (352) 800 24550. Would you rather submit your problem digitally? Then you can contact the online department of Apple Support. Via a chat you come into contact with an Apple employee, who will then discuss the possible solutions with you.
More Apple tips
Curious about more useful tips for your Apple device? On iPhoned you will find daily practical tips and tricks in addition to news and apps. For example, we explain how you can share your WiFi password with an iPhone super fast. We also show, for example, how to reset an iPad or how to secure your Apple ID with two-step verification.