If you’re looking to access and view your iCloud photos across all of your Apple devices, there’s a solution available. You not only have the ability to access your photos but also organize and share them from any device. Additionally, your photos will be sorted in a tidy manner. Cloud services are an excellent tool for expanding storage capacity by backing up files and photos, allowing us to store anything and access it from anywhere in the world. This feature also assists with managing storage on our devices. By uploading photos, documents, and files using our Apple ID, we can access them across all devices associated with our Apple ID.
This article provides instructions on how to activate cloud services on your iPhone, how to view and access photos, how to upload photos and documents, and how to access iCloud photos on all Apple devices.
How to access iCloud Photos and services on Apple devices
The following method applies to all Apple devices, including iPhone, iPad, and MacBook. Enabling this feature is the first step in saving pictures to the cloud. Once enabled, all photos from the Photos app will be transferred to iCloud.
To start saving pictures on iCloud, follow these steps:
- Open the settings on your Apple device.
- Select your name, which is your Apple account used to access all devices.
- Click on iCloud from the list of options that appear.
- In the iCloud section, you can see all types of documents, files, and photos from all devices that will be uploaded to the cloud.
- Tap on the Photos option to ensure it’s on.
- If it’s already on, leave it as it is, since your photos are already being uploaded to the cloud. Otherwise, toggle the switch to turn it on and start uploading photos from your gallery.
How to see the Photos on iCloud?
Enabling the iCloud photos option automatically uploads your photos to the cloud, making them accessible from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. iCloud is the solution to accessing iCloud photos on Apple devices.
However, the method for accessing and viewing these photos may differ for each device. Let’s take a look at how to access iCloud photos on each device.
How to access iCloud Photos on iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch
The method for accessing photos is the same across iPhone, iPad, and iPod, as all devices come with an inbuilt Photos app.
To access your photos:
- Open the Photos app on your device.
- Tap the Photos tab to view your photos, sorted by date.
- To create a new album for specific photos or files on the cloud, click on the Albums tab in the Photos app.
- Select the photos from your gallery and move them to the new folder to create the new album.
iCloud offers backup options for files, videos, and documents, in addition to photos. You can monitor the data being backed up to the cloud by visiting the iCloud section. This section allows you to view and manage storage and backup options. You can see a list of apps and their files present on the cloud, and choose to either keep or remove them if you no longer need them.
How to access iCloud Photos on Mac
Viewing iCloud photos on Mac is similar to viewing them on an iPhone. However, there is an additional step you need to follow:
- Click on the Photos icon at the top of the screen in the Finder.
- Select “Preferences” from the list.
- In the pop-up window, you will see two options: local photos stored in the local memory and iCloud.
- Select iCloud and check the box next to “Photos.” This will show the photos stored on iCloud.
If you are unable to see your iCloud photos on your Mac, it may be due to insufficient storage. Apple provides a certain amount of free space, after which you need to purchase premium services to continue backing up your data on the cloud. So, if you have reached your storage limit, you may need to upgrade to a larger storage plan to access your iCloud photos on your Mac.
How to access iCloud Photos on Windows?
If you own an Apple device and a Windows PC, and you want to access your iCloud photos on the Windows device, you can download the iCloud app on Windows through Apple’s support website. Follow the steps below to download the iCloud app and view your photos:
- Open a web browser on your Windows PC.
- Go to Apple’s support website.
- Search for “iCloud for Windows” on the support website.
- Download the iCloud for Windows software on your PC.
- After the download is complete, launch the iCloud software.
- Sign in to iCloud using your Apple ID and password.
- Once you’re signed in, you can view all the photos and files that are stored in your iCloud account.
How to Access iCloud Photos remotely
If you prefer not to download any additional software on your device, accessing iCloud Photos online is a simple option as long as you have a stable internet connection. This works regardless of the operating system you are using, whether it’s Android or iOS.
How to access iCloud Photos on IOS:
To access your iCloud photos online, follow these steps:
- Open a web browser on your device and go to www.iCloud.com.
- Sign in using your Apple ID and password.
- Once you’re logged in, you will see a website similar to that of an iPhone, with various iCloud services, including iCloud Photos.
- Click on iCloud Photos, and you will be redirected to the Photos page.
- From here, you can view all your photos in your iCloud library.
How to access iCloud Photos on Android:
- The process to access iCloud photos on an Android device is slightly different from iOS devices.
- Open Google Chrome and enter www.iCloud.com in the address bar. An error message will appear since iCloud is primarily designed for iOS devices.
- Click on the “More” button to see additional options. From the options list, select “Desktop Mode.”
- This action will display the iCloud homepage. Use your Apple ID and password to log in to your account.
Click on the photos icon to view your photos. However, there may be some limitations when accessing iCloud photos on Android devices. Due to scrolling limitations on Android devices, not all photos may be visible. The number of photos displayed will depend on the device being used.
Why is my Photo quality decreased?
When we view our photos on iCloud, we may notice that the quality is not as good as when we originally took them. This is due to a space-saving feature called iPhone Storage Optimization. As iCloud requires a lot of storage space, not all photos will be stored on the device, so iOS downloads lower-quality versions to save space. However, the original high-resolution versions are still stored in the cloud.
When we view the lower-quality versions without an internet connection, they may appear blurry. But if we have an internet connection, iOS will download the original version from iCloud and display it, while still retaining the same quality.
The Storage Optimization feature is only active if we enable it. If you prefer to keep only high-resolution images on your device, you can turn off this feature in the iCloud settings.
To turn off this feature, follow these steps:
- Go to the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap on your name in the settings.
- Tap on “iCloud” to access iCloud settings.
- Once you enable iCloud Photos, you will see two options: “Optimize iPhone Storage” and “Download and Keep Originals.”
- Select the “Download and Keep Originals” option to keep the original high-resolution photos on your phone.
Accessing the recently deleted photos
You can easily recover recently deleted photos from iCloud, but keep in mind that this feature only works for photos that were deleted within the last 30 days. Here are the steps to view and recover your deleted photos:
- Open the Photos app on any device.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the screen to find the “Recently Deleted” section.
- Here you will find all the photos and documents that you have deleted in the past 30 days.
- Select the photo or document you want to recover and tap on the “Recover” button located at the top-left corner of the screen.
- The files will be moved back to the original photo album.
These are some simple steps that can help you access and recover your photos and documents from iCloud. If you find this information helpful, share it with others who may be wondering how to access their iCloud photos on Apple devices. Additionally, if you want to learn more about how to clear your iCloud storage, you can read the linked article.