Filip Brož Taking photos via iPhone or iPad is becoming more and more popular. So it's no wonder that every user wants their photos to be seen and at the same time want to share them with family and friends. The Photostream function is very well suited for this purpose.
Photostream is part of the iCloud service package, which not only backs up your photos to the "cloud", but also gives you an easy way to share your photos with people who also use an iPhone or iPad.
Photostream will allow you to share an unlimited number of photos, which is much more practical and faster than sharing via e-mail or multimedia messages. The big advantage of Fotostream lies in the fact that your friends or family can also add their photos to it, and you can then comment and share them with each other.
If you're not sure how to set up and manage a photostream on your Apple device, here's a complete tutorial.
How to turn on the Photostream feature
- Go to Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap on iCloud.
- Select Photos from the menu.
- Turn on "My Photo Stream" and enable "Photo Sharing".
You now have the "My Photostream" feature turned on, which will create a shared item on each of your devices, where you can find all your photos taken on any device with Photostream connected.
How to create a new shared photostream
- Open the "Pictures" app on your iOS device.
- Click the "Shared" button in the middle of the bottom bar.
- Click on the + symbol in the upper left corner or select the "New Shared Photo Stream" option.
- Name the new photostream and click Next.
- Choose from your contact list the people you want to share photos with. Remember that the other user must also have an iOS device to be able to share photos.
- Select "Create"
At this moment, you have created a new shared photostream in which you share your own photos with selected people.
How to add photos to your shared photo stream
- Open the shared photo stream.
- Tap the + symbol.
- Select the photos you want to share from your device and tap "Done".
- You can then immediately comment or name the photo.
- Continue with the "Publish" button and the photo will automatically be added to your photostream.
- Users you share the photostream with will see the photo immediately.
After clicking on any photo, you can comment on it or just "like". Other users with a shared photo stream have the same options. The device automatically informs you of all changes.
How to delete a shared photostream
- Open the "Pictures" app on your iOS device.
- Click the "Shared" button in the middle of the bottom bar.
- Click the "Edit" button.
- Tap the - symbol and choose "Delete".
- The shared photo stream is deleted both from your devices and shared users.
In a similar way, you can delete individual photos inside a shared photo stream. You simply choose the “Select” option, select the images you want to delete, and tap the trash can icon.
How to share an existing photostream with other users
- Open the "Pictures" app on your iOS device.
- Select the photo stream to which you want to add additional users from the menu.
- Select "People" from the bottom navigation bar.
- Click the "Invite User" button.
- Select the user and click "Add".
The invited user will again receive an invitation and a new notification that you are sharing your photostream with them.
How to share Photostream with people who don't use an iPhone or iPad
- Open the "Pictures" app on your iOS device.
- Click the "Shared" button in the middle of the bottom bar.
- Select the photo stream you want to share.
- Click the "People" button.
- Turn on the "Public Page" option and click the "Share Link" button.
- Choose the way you want to send the link to the shared photos (Message, Mail, Twitter or Facebook).
- You are done; people you send the link to can view your shared photo stream.
I tried twice, always on the latest version of iOS, and each time only a few photos were uploaded to the stream (eg 2 out of 10). Does anyone have a similar problem? Thanks
I agree, it is a completely unreliable service that cannot be influenced in any way. I think Apple should rather improve the technical quality instead of creating a new design all the time.
From the beginning without a single problem. I think that the problem you have must be looked for elsewhere.
Photos are saved to the photostream completely randomly, it's a lottery of what gets saved and what doesn't. Sharing works fine. It's interesting despite your claim that there are a lot of discussions about the save error from 4S and no one has found a solution. So you advise.
We were talking about Photostream in general, not about 4S, I don't have it here, but maybe ask for a few contributions above on Fila, where his girlfriend has a 4S and she manages everything without any problems ;)
I have been using it for several years and everything is absolutely OK.
I personally tried it several times and always without problems. On new iOS and various devices. Maybe try again and preferably delete everything first (old streams).
I've been using Fotostream for years with no problems at all. And I am more than satisfied. I have about 70 different themed albums on Fotostream with hundreds of photos and about 50 videos. But the problems mentioned can be caused by the server through which you send the photos, its throughput, capacity, etc. I noticed similar flies in Sardinia on the slow hotel wifi, which did not take more than 3-5 photos at a time. Oh well, I sent it in stages. I wouldn't see a problem with uploading with Apple.
How do I create an album in the photo stream, it only works for me in photos. I don't have the plus in the photo stream at the top. Only in albums. Thanks.
I have been using photostream for a long time. even my girlfriend who is currently in Tunisia uses photostream on her iP4S, where she uploads photos and I can immediately see how she is enjoying herself :)
it is a completely reliable service, only limited by the current connection. If there is a weak Wi-Fi or mobile internet signal, the photos are loaded slowly and only in parts.
if the signal is fine, the photos are practically immediately available in the cloud.
Hello, I am surprised by what you write. I also have a 4S and as I write below, automatic saving to FS is a total disaster. What they save is probably solved by a random number generator:) Otherwise, other functions such as sharing are no problem. I prefer to back up to OneDrive. Do you have any advice?
For example, it bothers me a bit that when I want to create a shared album with other users and upload photos there, the photos are not sorted according to time, but are sorted according to how they were gradually added. Otherwise, sometimes the service works perfectly, other times some photos don't upload (I mean the automatic photo stream), it would also be great if the iPad could add photos directly from the photo stream to other services and applications, I always have to manually save from the photo stream to some local album and and then I have to send it somewhere on the website or in some application.
That's bullshit, it works fine for me. Wherever I want to add a photo, I see both my albums and streams, as well as recent streams.
And doesn't the photostream on the phone take up more memory space when the photos are stored there twice?
They are not stored there twice. They are only accessible from iCloud. So you can view them when you're on the network (wifi, 2G), but they don't take up any space on your iPhone or other device
Personally, I do it by taking, for example, 100 photos during the day, then I choose maybe 10 good ones and manually send them to iCloud in the appropriate album. That's why I have the automatic sending of all photos turned off in the photo stream settings on my iPhone, so that even the bad unwanted ones don't accumulate on iCloud. When I have sent them and placed them in a specific album, I can easily delete them all from the camera folder on my iPhone so that they don't take up space, they will remain on iCloud in photostream and are available. The same goes for videos. Few people know this, but photos and videos on iCloud are not limited by space, you can have 100 TB of photos and videos there, which do not count towards the 5GB space that every apple ID has. The only thing that might be annoying for someone is that photos and videos will be reduced in size on iCloud. Photos up to a maximum size of 2048 (panoramic 5400) and videos HD 720 and a maximum length of 5 minutes. But I don't know how to whom, it doesn't bother me at all, for normal viewing and a decent print is enough, I really don't need to store posters and billboards. And according to the last keynote, this size limitation will be removed with the arrival of iOS 8 in the fall.
I thought that unlimited photo storage would only be available with idrive cloud .. this is new for me .. thank you very much :)
Just be careful – if you don't place the photos in albums and leave them in the basic Photostream folder, they will only stay there for 30 days! Then they will fry themselves! Those 30 days are just the time to sort and save in albums when automatic upload is turned on. That's why I personally have the automatic upload turned off and send manually only those selected directly to the albums from the iPhone to iCloud! Photos and videos stored in albums will remain there permanently. Only in a slightly reduced format, which, as I already wrote, will no longer apply from iOS 8.
AHA and where or how will the album be set? Thank you
on your phone in Photostream you have a + in the upper left corner, press it and create a new album.
I don't know, but I've had them in the base folder, as you call it, for about a year and nothing gets deleted.
I think they are stored 2x in the device. At least in iOS6 it was and is. Every time I delete them I free up space.
Filip, thank you for a perfect article. A "non-sharer" will understand the meaning and procedure of how to open up other possibilities of using Apple products.
can the photostream also be divided structurally? for example the main stream, then 3 others below it?
No, that's not possible. Photostream works with albums. You can make tech albums and then you can sort the photos in them and between them. What bothers me a little is that it stores and sorts the photos according to the order in which they were uploaded, and it is not possible to arrange them according to your preference. But that's a small thing.