My daughter's iPhone is running out of storage, but her photos are not currently syncing to iCloud even though there is plenty of iCloud space available. She also uses an iPad with the same Apple Account, and the iPad's photos are already stored in iCloud. If I enable iCloud Photos on the iPhone, will the photos from the iPad appear on the iPhone as well? She wants the photo libraries on the two devices to remain separate. Is there a way to use iCloud for both devices without combining their photos?
3 Answers
Putting iPhone photos into a folder won’t keep them separate. Albums and folders organize one shared iCloud Photos library; they don’t control which device can see the pictures. A separate photo service can be used as an independent backup, but it won’t change how iCloud Photos syncs.
iCloud Photos is a synchronized library, not a separate backup area for each device. Once it’s enabled on both devices using the same Apple Account, the photos from the iPhone and iPad will be combined and made available on both. iCloud does not offer a setting to upload photos from one device while keeping them hidden from another device using the same account. Separate Apple Accounts, or leaving iCloud Photos turned off on one device, are the practical ways to keep the libraries separate.
Creating a new Apple Account would separate the photo libraries, but data and purchases connected to the current account may not automatically transfer. Notes, contacts, backups, and other iCloud data would need to be moved or shared manually, and apps can remain installed but updates and purchases may still be tied to the original account. It’s worth checking what data is currently synced before switching accounts.
If we create a separate Apple Account for the iPhone, would she still keep access to her existing notes, apps, and other iCloud data?