Photos app stuck downloading from iCloud

[mattm591]

I've set up the new Photos app, first on my Mac Mini where it successfully uploaded all my iPhoto photos and downloaded my iOS photos. Second, I've set it up on my Macbook Pro where it's now stuck!

There are 2979 items left to download of about 7000. Every time I close and re-open the app a couple more are downloaded. But that's a lot of closing and re-opening to finish downloading all the items!

I've tried "pausing" and resuming the downloading of the iCloud Photo Library. I've also tried rebooting a couple of times.

Any suggestions how I can get it to get going again?

 

[aicul]

I note something similar.

What is really silly is that there is no visible sign that iPhoto is working. You have to wait and hope it works.

Frankly, Apple could spend more time on providing useful information to users (such as photo transfer progress) rather than that quite pointless transparency of the yosemite windows.

 

[robflate]

In the Photos app, 'Preferences > iCloud' shows a progress bar. However, I've noticed that it pauses at random intervals (the bar changes from blue to grey but the pause button doesn't change). You can restart it by clicking the 'General' tab and back to the 'iCloud' tab. I presumed OS X was monitoring that I'm using my internet connection for other stuff and prioritising that usage over photo uploading so I left my computer alone and it still stopped uploading. This is very frustrating.

 

[jg321]

I just left it a couple of days and it eventually sorted itself out.

Done this on a few machines now.

 

[robflate]

<jg321>, Mine started uploading so I set left it alone overnight for 12 hours. Checking my network activity for those 12 hours shows it paused itself soon after I left it and it didn't resume. I'll try leaving it for a few days and see what happens.

 

[iapplelove]

The feature sucks.. Photos is a mess

 

[MacGizmo]

My only hope is that Apple's server are just being overwhelmed with users uploading photos. Because if this frigging mess of a situation is any indication of the future of Apple, I'm a bit concerned.

 

[mattm591]

In the Photos app, 'Preferences > iCloud' shows a progress bar. However, I've noticed that it pauses at random intervals (the bar changes from blue to grey but the pause button doesn't change). You can restart it by clicking the 'General' tab and back to the 'iCloud' tab. I presumed OS X was monitoring that I'm using my internet connection for other stuff and prioritising that usage over photo uploading so I left my computer alone and it still stopped uploading. This is very frustrating.

Sadly that didn't work

I just left it a couple of days and it eventually sorted itself out.

Done this on a few machines now.

Will wait and see what happens over the next few days! Seems a lot of people having upload issues, but this is downloading which I can't see as many complaints about.

 

[robflate]

Some more observations. I use iStat menu so I can instantly see when data is being uploaded from my computer;

1. The only place with a progress meter is 'Preferences > iCloud' but if you open that window, the upload seems to pause when it finishes the file it's currently uploading. As soon as you close the preference window, the uploads start again.

2. If you do anything in the program, even if it's just the active window, the upload pauses. As soon as you switch to another program, the uploads resume.

3. The Photos agent occasionally maxes out the CPU and fans on my rMBP. 400%+ CPU, really loud fans and very hot. I presume it's compressing images to save space locally.

Points 1 and 2 are crazy to me. If you want to see the progress of uploads, the uploads will pause. It's like Schrödinger's friggin' cat!

 

[mattm591]

Some more observations. I use iStat menu so I can instantly see when data is being uploaded from my computer;

1. The only place with a progress meter is 'Preferences > iCloud' but if you open that window, the upload seems to pause when it finishes the file it's currently uploading. As soon as you close the preference window, the uploads start again.

2. If you do anything in the program, even if it's just the active window, the upload pauses. As soon as you switch to another program, the uploads resume.

3. The Photos agent occasionally maxes out the CPU and fans on my rMBP. 400%+ CPU, really load fans and very hot. I presume it's compressing images to save space locally.

Points 1 and 2 are crazy to me. If you want to see the progress of uploads, the uploads will pause. It's like Schrödinger's friggin' cat!

This probably explains why closing and re-opening downloads a couple of files, it works in the background when closed but doesn't do anything while open.

 

[robflate]

Also, the Photos app doesn't need to be open for the uploads to continue. A process called 'nsurlsessiond' continues the uploads. 'nsurlsessiond' appears to be for background tasks/uploading in OS X.

So far, the upload process seems to work better with the Photos app closed. I'll leave it like this and see if it continues.

 

[Rooligan]

This worked for me...

I had the same problem for days. I had with the Beta uploaded everything to iCloud Photolibrary but after the initial release I was not able to get everything right. So I used the library in iCloud as the basis and factory reset my iPhone and iPad and put back the latest backup there without the pictures. Also I disabled iCloud Photolibrary on my Mac so it erased everything. And even put my Photo Library in the Trash so it could not find it anymore. And made a brand new library.

I then put everything back on and it started downloading. At least that is what it seemed to be doing. But after a day I also got stuck on my Mac for days not downloading the complete pictures. Only the thumbnails. I did the exact same thing as above. Disabling and enabling the iCloud Photolibrary in the new Photos app etc.

But the same as above, it again got stuck there. Not downloading the full pictures.

MY SOLLUTIONS:
I had the Photos app open (not the settings screen) and made a few pictures with my iPhone. After half a minute the thumbnails started appearing. I opened one of them so it triggered to download that brand new picture in full and after that the others started to download. (I kept the Photos app open and in front) and it is still downloading now for over an hour.

I hope this also helps you guys... (good luck)

 

[GlenK]

I finally bit the bullet and went with the iCloud photo library. Same as you guys it's taking an eternity. No clue if it's working and my progress bar mentioned above is still all gray and just shows; Updating...

May just do as suggested and leave it while I go somewhere and pray!!!

 

[yukimima]

I have a similar problem, how to get the photos stored in iCloud?

 

[grmatt]

This worked for me...

I had the same problem for days. I had with the Beta uploaded everything to iCloud Photolibrary but after the initial release I was not able to get everything right. So I used the library in iCloud as the basis and factory reset my iPhone and iPad and put back the latest backup there without the pictures. Also I disabled iCloud Photolibrary on my Mac so it erased everything. And even put my Photo Library in the Trash so it could not find it anymore. And made a brand new library.

I then put everything back on and it started downloading. At least that is what it seemed to be doing. But after a day I also got stuck on my Mac for days not downloading the complete pictures. Only the thumbnails. I did the exact same thing as above. Disabling and enabling the iCloud Photolibrary in the new Photos app etc.

But the same as above, it again got stuck there. Not downloading the full pictures.

MY SOLLUTIONS:
I had the Photos app open (not the settings screen) and made a few pictures with my iPhone. After half a minute the thumbnails started appearing. I opened one of them so it triggered to download that brand new picture in full and after that the others started to download. (I kept the Photos app open and in front) and it is still downloading now for over an hour.

I hope this also helps you guys... (good luck)

This worked for me. THANK YOU!

 

[ProDadoune]

This worked for me. THANK YOU!

This worked for me too! Downloading was stuck on my iPhone. I took a picture with my iPad and looked at it on my iPhone which downloaded the full resolution picture and resumed downloading the other ones. Thank you. Sad that this trick is still required in 2020...