How can I ACTUALLY force a photo sync in iOS 18

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Level 1

17 points

How can I ACTUALLY force a photo sync in iOS 18

Specifically I'm in iOS 18.3.1 and on iPhone but the same problem seems to exist on iPads and generally since the move to iOS 18

Yes, I know you can go into photos, click your little ID photo in the upper right and then below your name where it lists how many photos and videos you have it's supposed to give you the option to Sync now. However the option often simply isn't there. Instead it often says "Synced with iCloud Just Now"

In one example if I sit down and sort a bunch of photos into different albums on my phone, this apparently isn't detected as a change in photo status. No sync option and no sync to icloud occurs even at 100% battery sitting on the charger. Maybe those changes will reach icloud the next day if I'm lucky, but there is no sync now option after I make the changes on the iphone.
In another easily recreated scenario I go to icloud and add a photo via the web to my photo collection because I want to show it to someone on my phone. Nothing has happened on my phone so of course there is no "Sync now" option on my phone.

I need a "Sync now even if you don't realize you need it" capability. How can I *force* a photo sync. There are so many device use cases beyond "I just took some photos" and both of the examples above used to work before iOS 18.

Posted on Mar 10, 2025 09:41 AM

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Answer 1

darkgreen Author

Level 1

17 points

Mar 10, 2025 11:05 AM in response to muguy

Muguy - I cannot recreate your results please give more details.

If I select 15 photos and move them to an album there is no sync and no option to sync and they do not move to the album on icloud until the next sync caused by something else.

If I add a photo on icloud there is no sync. I did that before posting this issue and it still has not synced and there still is no option to sync.

Are you adding (taking) or deleting photos in the photos app on the phone, because yes that does trigger a sync. What do *you* mean by "moving". More details please because I'm providing detailed scenarios and retesting them and genuinely trying to figure out a solution. If you can cause a sync by moving something into an album I would love to know *exactly* how you tested and verified that and what settings might influence that, because I've been trying to get that to work again ever since iOS 18 came out and broke that.

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Answer 2

darkgreen Author

Level 1

17 points

Mar 10, 2025 11:04 AM in response to Richard.Taylor

Richard.Taylor - Taking a photo does indeed generate a sync event. As stated in my original post my problem is with the scenarios beyond "taking some photos" such as those I listed that no longer generate the option to sync as of iOS 18.

I am not aware of a way to AirDrop an update in album organization from the phone to the web? I'm on PC so it doesn't provide an alternative to using the icloud-->phone path that is now broken since we apparently can't request a sync from our phones on iOS 18?

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Answer 3

darkgreen Author

Level 1

17 points

Mar 10, 2025 11:32 AM in response to muguy

Hi Muguy - Thanks for the specific testable example!

I copied your test and I agree creating a new album does seem to cause a sync event. My usual workflow involves adding things to existing albums, which does not cause a sync event. Try taking some existing already synced photos and adding them to an existing already synced album then go to icloud and see if they are in the album. For me at least they won't be and there won't be a sync option on the phone because it won't see that as an event worthy of a sync.

Maybe after moving stuff around if I take a junk photo just to generate a sync event then sync and delete the photo...

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Answer 4

darkgreen Author

Level 1

17 points

Mar 10, 2025 11:35 AM in response to darkgreen

FIXED

Okay, so I should have thought of this.... I just take a junk photo to trigger a sync. Trigger the sync which covers the album status and grabs things I uploaded on the web, then delete the junk photo. Waste of bandwidth but such is life.

<sigh>

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