Syncing photos with iCloud STUPIDLY slow

Fixed for me with new 18.3 update. Also fixed watch screenshots not syncing to phone.

You may want to wait for the next system update, Tony. After the update to iOS 18.2 and Sequoia 15.2 I had to use Air Drop to get my new photos from the iPhone to my Mac, when I needed them quickly. Same system versions, but different device models and different internet connection.

Have you sent feedback to Apple to report the problem?

Feedback - Photos - Apple

I would like to hear from you

Happy to oblige Tony and now you're hearing from me. But I am puzzled as to why you want to hear from me. After all, I'm just a User of Apple products, same as you. That's what this forum is, Users helping (or trying to) other Users with their Apple products. That's all explained in the Terms of Use you agreed to when you signed up, of course. In all modesty, I assume you don't actually want to hear from me at all, but from Apple, and if you want that you'll need to contact them directly.

anthonyfromtain wrote: … it took 15 minutes in the end for one photo...that isn't workable.

On the other hand, I made an edit to picture on my Mac yesterday, and it appeared within 2 minutes on my phone and iPad. But when I'm using the Photos app on those things while on battery power, I don't expect 2 minutes. You may be complaining about slow transfers, but it it were faster, loads of others would complain about battery consumption and slow response to their games.

Like léonie and most of us, I use AirDrop when I'm in a hurry.

cmb321 wrote: Fixed for me with new 18.3 update. Also fixed watch screenshots not syncing to phone.

Absolutely! Thanks!

Also, it fixed the 15.2 change that kept 3rd party apps from accessing Photos-- that really messed up my workflow!

Same here, also blocking ability to send messages with photos until the sync is completed. Plugging the phone into the wall cleared the sync pretty quickly. I do think the latest iOS messed up photo sync as it worked fine before. Ridiculous to need to use airdrop - if Apple forces us to use icloud to keep photos synced instead of the old method of direct sync from Mac to iPhone, it oughta work properly and quickly.

It's the main reason I don't use iCloud for photos. When synching files to iCloud I get upload speeds in the tens of kB/s, and that's when it actually synchs. It would take a week to upload my photos at the rates I get, and that's assuming it works at all. I often get the 99% complete problem meaning that synchs just stop at 99% until I do something. The best solution I've found is to kill the "Bird" process - find the Activity Monitor app, search for Bird and then kill it and hopefully the synchs should re-start and maybe even complete.

For me iCloud is not reliable. If there are docs that I'll really need when I'm away from home then I put them on a memory stick.

Zurarczurx wrote: … If there are docs that I'll really need when I'm away from home then I put them on a memory stick.

I'm pretty sure this post was about iCloud Photos. And, as was said earlier, if we have an emergency need for a picture, most of us use AirDrop for quick transfers.

While off topic, iCloud Drive works well for me.

I haven't but then I don't expect it to be instantaneous, nor, in fairness do I think Apple say anywhere that it is.