Haug Tech Knowledge Base

Enabling iCloud Photos on your iPhone or iPad device

By enabling iCloud Photos, you enable your device to function as an “Unlimited Memory” device, offloading excess data into iCloud.

iCloud Photo Library automatically keeps every photo and video you take in iCloud, so you can access your library from any device, anytime you want. Any changes you make to your collection on one device, change on your other devices too. Your photos and videos stay organized into Moments, Collections, and Years. And all of your Memories are updated everywhere. That way you can quickly find the moment you're looking for anywhere you go. Your collection uploads to iCloud each time your device connects to Wi-Fi and your battery is charged. Depending on your Internet speed, the time it takes for you to see your photos and videos on all of your devices and iCloud.com might vary.

For the best experience, also sign in to iCloud on your Mac or Windows PC in addition to your iPhone and iPad.

To get started, first:

1. Check to ensure that your iOS device is running the Latest iOS software
2. Make sure you are signed in to iCloud by going to Settings > iCloud.

Next, on all of the iPhones and iPads that share the same Apple ID, do the following:

1. Go to Settings > Photos & Camera, then turn on iCloud Photo Library.
2. Ensure there is a check next to Optimize iPhone Storage
3. Go to Settings > iCloud > Storage and tap Buy More Storage or Change Storage Plan
4. Ensure that the plan you have selected is at least the 50GB plan, but for least hassle in the future I'd suggest the 200GB plan.
5. Choose a plan, then tap Buy and enter your Apple ID password. Be sure that the plan changes after the purchase has completed.
6. Now, your iPhone/iPad will automatically upload excess photos to iCloud while it is charging. All photos will continue to be available on the device itself, but may need to be downloaded if you click on a photo that's not been viewed in quite some time.

All Done! You can verify that the uploads are taking place by plugging your device into power, then opening Photos and scrolling to the bottom of the thumbnails. You should see a screen similar to below:

If you need additional help with iCloud Photos, please visit this Help Article on Apple.com.