I'm trying to set up a burner phone to use a specific app that requires full access to my camera roll and contacts, which is quite intrusive. I have an iPhone XR that's signed into my iCloud and has iCloud Photos enabled. However, when I try to turn off iCloud Photos, it still shows I have 89,000 photos on the device, which doesn't make sense since there's no way they could all fit, and I know there's at least 30,000 more in my iCloud library. I'm worried that this number might just be an old snapshot.
My concern is I really don't want to factory reset the phone just to remove the photos. I'm on iOS 18.7.1 and I've tried toggling iCloud Photos on and off, but the photos won't delete. I've waited hours to see if the changes would catch up, but nothing has happened. I'm hoping to find a way to remove the iCloud photos from my device without wiping it completely so I can use this app safely.
3 Answers
Honestly, the quickest solution might be to just factory restore it. I know it’s annoying, but it usually clears all the clutter and lets you start fresh. Just make sure to back up anything you want to keep before doing it!
One option you could try is going to the iPhone Storage section in the Settings app. From there, see if you can remove any documents and data associated with the Photos app. If that doesn’t work, you might have to consider the factory restore even though it’s not your preferred choice.
I actually did the factory restore and it still didn't solve the issue. I set it up as a new device and turned off iCloud Photos right away, but it’s still pulling down photos. It’s really frustrating!
Just out of curiosity, what app are you trying to install anyway?
It's Facebook and Tinder. It's wild how these apps need such access just to function.
Yeah, I tried that and it didn't help either. Set up as new, signed into iCloud, but still had issues with the photos just downloading all over again. It's like a never-ending cycle!