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How Onlime works with iCloud Photo Library
How Onlime works with iCloud Photo Library

How Onlime works with the iCloud Photo Library.

Mathias avatar
Written by Mathias
Updated over a week ago

Onlime on your iPhone and iPad works with the iCloud Photo Library. This means that if you have activated the iCloud Photo Library, Onlime will back up ALL the photos and videos that you have on your device - including those that you have stored in iCloud.


How to verify if you have iCloud enabled

  • Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad

  • Select the field with your name / Apple ID, iCloud .. (top field in Settings)

  • Select iCloud

  • Select Photos

When you enable iCloud Photo Library on your iPhone or iPad, Onlime will view and back up any photos and videos that you have in your iCloud account.


iCloud and the Optimize iPhone Storage option

iCloud allows you to enable the Optimize iPhone Storage option, which means that iCloud replaces the original photos and videos on your iPhone with optimized versions that are of lower resolution/quality.

After turning on this setting, please be aware of the following:

  • Onlime will need to download the original versions before they will be uploaded to Onlime.

  • Backup will be slower and will require more of your network. Therefore, we recommend that you mainly use Wifi to back up your iPhone and iPad.

  • Even if an image or video has already been uploaded to Onlime, the original file still needs to be downloaded to be checked and verified so that it does not need to be uploaded again.

  • If you have more space on iCloud than you have on the phone, the phone will run out of space. Read more below.

If you want to have both your files backed up in iCloud and Onlime, we recommend that you select Download and Keep Originals. This will without comparison make automatic backup to Onlime much easier and faster.


If your iCloud library is larger than your iPhone / iPad

If your iCloud Library is larger than the available space on your iPhone or iPad, you have the following 2 options if you want to use Onlime.

  1. Disable iCloud on your iPhone or iPad

  2. Switch completely from iCloud to Onlime


Switch from iCloud to Onlime on iPhone / iPad

You can switch from iCloud to Onlime by uploading your photos and videos stored in your iCloud Library and then deleting them from your iCloud account.

  1. If the space on your iPhone runs out, stop the backup with Onlime

  2. Repeat steps 1-3 until all photos and videos have been uploaded to Onlime and you can not free up any more space


Switch from iCloud to Onlime on a Mac

  1. Open Photos on your Mac

  2. Open Settings (Shortcut: CMD +,)

  3. Select the "iCloud" tab

  4. Enable iCloud Photo Library and mark Download Originals to this Mac

  5. Add the Photos Library for backup (the library is usually located in the Pictures folder on your Mac)

  6. Let Onlime upload all your photos and videos

  7. Disable iCloud

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