Confirming: there is no way to globally delete from photo stream from ios5.1

[mykidisgollum]

All, when I try to delete from photo stream on a 5.1 device, it specifically says it will only remove it from the device I'm using - not globally from my iCloud account (which would affect all devices my family has). Am I missing something?

We use photostream on our appletv as a screen saver and there are many crummy photos on it - how to selectively eliminate them?

 

[Peace]

You don't delete the photos under the photostream setting. You use the photos app to delete them from photo stream.

 

[newagemac]

Another thing is that photos added to photostream after 5.1 will delete from all devices when you delete an individual photo. The old photos are the only ones you will need to individually delete from each device.

 

[Tinmania]

You don't delete the photos under the photostream setting. You use the photos app to delete them from photo stream.

It's obvious he already knows that. You don't get that message he mentioned until you delete a photostream photo.



Michael

 

[Tinmania]

Another thing is that photos added to photostream after 5.1 will delete from all devices when you delete an individual photo. The old photos are the only ones you will need to individually delete from each device.

Yes this is good to point out. The message even changes when you delete a PhotoStream photo added after 5.1.

However, that message is kind of misleading: it only deletes from all iOS 5.1 devices. So in my case since my ATV and iPhone 4S are jailbroken photostream photos taken and deleted from my 5.1 iPad do not get deleted on ATV/iPhone 4S.

I would say that the individual photostream deletion thing is really a kludge. And you are not really deleting anything from the stream--only locally stored photos. It's as if a notification is sent to iOS devices: delete this picture from your local photostream storage. And they will do so. But if you open iPhoto on a mac they are all there--even with the latest iPhoto update.



Michael

 

[PNutts]

It turns out you can delete older (pre 5.1) photos from your Photo Stream from an iOS device. I posted the solution in this thread.

I did what you want to do, get all my iOS screenshots off the ATV2 screensaver.

Thinking back to the chaos when iTunes Match rolled out and now folks are discovering these little features I'm beginning to be frustrated that there isn't more guidance from Apple other than at the highest level.

 

[Tinmania]

I might just turn the whole PhotoStream thing off. In 4 months I don't think I have ever used it once. Yet I have wasted time cleaning it, hurrying to delete screenshots before hey got sucked into the stream, etc.

I want more options available for PhotoStream such as the ability to suppress screenshots or anything else not taken with the device's camera. I also would like the option to either have a checkbox in the Photo app to enable photos to go to the stream or a setting that causes a dialog box to pop up after each photo asking if you want it on the stream (the latter being a bit extreme but I think Apple assumed we were all Ansel Adams and cherished every single photo ).



Michael

 

[newagemac]

Yes this is good to point out. The message even changes when you delete a PhotoStream photo added after 5.1.

However, that message is kind of misleading: it only deletes from all iOS 5.1 devices. So in my case since my ATV and iPhone 4S are jailbroken photostream photos taken and deleted from my 5.1 iPad do not get deleted on ATV/iPhone 4S.

I would say that the individual photostream deletion thing is really a kludge. And you are not really deleting anything from the stream--only locally stored photos. It's as if a notification is sent to iOS devices: delete this picture from your local photostream storage. And they will do so. But if you open iPhoto on a mac they are all there--even with the latest iPhoto update.



Michael

No, they are actually deleted from Photostream. And if you go to the Photostream section for iPhoto on your Mac, any photos deleted from Photostream on an iOS device will no longer show in Photostream on your Mac's iPhoto app because the photos are no longer actually in Photostream.

However in iPhoto on your Mac under Preferences, there are settings for Photostream. The default is to automatically import all Photostream photos to your iPhoto Library. These aren't deleted when you delete from Photostream because they are stored on your computer in your iPhoto Library. I wouldn't advise turning off the import setting because Photostream itself only stores up to 1000 photos.

It is important to remember that Photostream is only meant to be just a history of recent photos you have taken and the master source for it is in iCloud. It is mostly to be used for syncing your photos across computers and devices automatically. It is not meant to be the final resting place for your photos nor is it really meant to be used for showing off your photos. That's what Albums and Events are for.