Deleting photos or other data from your phone can be a tricky task, especially when you want to delete them from your phone but not from the iCloud. While iCloud is a great way to store your data, it can also create confusion when it comes to deleting data from your phone but not from the iCloud. But don’t worry, here we have some great methods to help you achieve your goal.
Video Tutorial:
The Challenge of Deleting from Phone But Not iCloud
One of the biggest challenges of deleting photos or other data from your phone but not from iCloud is that the process is not as straightforward as deleting from one device only. If you delete from your phone, there is a chance that it will be deleted from iCloud as well. It’s because iCloud syncs the data between devices, which means any changes made on one device are reflected on others.
But sometimes, we need to delete data only from our phone but keep it in iCloud for later use. This can happen when we want to free up space on our phone and keep the data stored in iCloud. Therefore, finding a way to delete data from the phone but not from the iCloud is crucial.
Method 1: Disable iCloud Photos
First up is disabling iCloud Photos. iCloud Photos is a feature that syncs all your photos and videos across all devices connected with the same iCloud account. So, disabling it will prevent iCloud from syncing your photos or videos.
Before we start, make sure that you turned off iCloud Photos on all the devices, and it would be better if you make a backup beforehand.
Pros:
– Easy to perform
– Only your photos will be deleted from your phone, but it will stay in the iCloud
– Works on multiple devices
Cons:
– If you use iCloud Photos as a backup, turn it on as soon as you finish deleting files
Now, here are the steps to disable iCloud Photos:
1. Go to the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Click on your name, then iCloud, and finally Photos.
3. Toggle off the iCloud Photos.
4. A message will confirm if you want to remove your photos from your iPhone. Choose the option to remove it.
Method 2: Turn Off iCloud Photo Library on iPhone
iCloud Photo Library is another feature that keeps all your photos and videos synced across devices. So, turning it off will prevent iCloud from syncing your photos or videos.
Pros:
– Easy and fast to perform
– No loss of data
– Works on multiple devices
Cons:
– If you use the iCloud Photo Library as your main photo album, it will affect your photo organization.
– If one day you want to upload photos manually, you need to turn on iCloud Photo Library again.
Here are the steps to turn off iCloud Photo Library on iPhone:
1. Open Settings on your phone.
2. Click on your name, then iCloud and finally select Photos.
3. Toggle off the slider that says “iCloud Photo Library”.
Method 3: Delete Photos from the iPhone Gallery
Deleting photos and videos from your iPhone gallery is another option to delete data from your phone but not from the iCloud. Remember to disable the iCloud Photo Library before deleting the photos.
Pros:
– Easy to perform
– It doesn’t delete files from iCloud.
Cons:
– Quite time-consuming
– If one day you want to upload photos manually, you need to turn on iCloud Photo Library again.
Here are the steps to delete photos from the iPhone Gallery:
1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
2. Tap on ‘Select’ at the top right corner and select the photos you want to delete.
3. After selecting, tap on the trash icon at the bottom right corner.
4. Confirm that you want to delete the photos by selecting ‘Delete’.
Method 4: Delete Photos from the Recently Deleted Album
Deleting photos from the "Recently Deleted" album is another option to delete photos from the phone but not from iCloud. When you delete photos from the gallery, it stores them in the "Recently Deleted" album for 30 days. Therefore, you need to delete them permanently from that album.
Pros:
– Easy to handle
– Reversible within a 30 day period.
Cons:
– You need to delete them permanently.
– Quite time-consuming as it needs to take extra steps
Here are the steps to delete photos from the Recently Deleted Album:
1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
2. Go to the ‘Recently Deleted’ folder.
3. Tap ‘Select’ and choose the photos you want to delete.
4. Tap ‘Delete’ and confirm your action.
Why Failed to Delete from Phone But Not iCloud?
There may be several reasons why deleting data from your phone but not from iCloud is not successful. Here are some reasons why you might face failure:
1. iCloud Photos is turned on.
2. iCloud Photo Library is turned on.
3. Image Optimizations is on.
To fix these issues, you can try the following:
1. Disable iCloud Photos and iCloud Photo Library (if turned on) to delete photos from your phone.
2. Check your iPhone’s storage space and clear it to free up more space for new photos and videos.
3. Turn off "Optimize iPhone Storages" to save the original photos on your device.
Q1: Why does my deleted data reappear in iCloud?
A1: If you delete data on multiple devices, the deleted data might reappear in iCloud. To fix the issue, turn off iCloud Photos and iCloud Photo Library beforehand. Then delete your data from your phone.
Q2: How do I turn off iCloud Photos?
A2: You can go to the Settings app on your iPhone, then click on your name, then iCloud, and finally Photos. Toggle off the iCloud Photos.
Q3: Why can’t I delete photos from my phone?
A3: If you can’t delete photos from your phone, check if your iCloud Photos and iCloud Photo Library are turned on. Disabling both options might fix it.
Q4: Will my deleted photos from my phone delete from iCloud as well?
A4: By disabling iCloud Photos and iCloud Photo Library, you can delete photos from your phone but not from iCloud.
Q5: How can I restore recently deleted photos that got deleted from iCloud as well?
A5: If you want to restore deleted photos, you can go to the "Recently Deleted" album, select the photos you want to restore, and then click "Recover".
Q6: Why can’t I find my recently deleted photos?
A6: Your recently deleted photos might have been deleted permanently from the "Recently Deleted" album. You can check the "Recently Deleted" album to see if the photos are still available. If they are, you can retrieve them within 30 days. If not, they may have already been permanently deleted.