Optimize iphone storage vs download and keep originals

When you need to free up room on your iOS device, the first place to look is the Photos app. But you don't have to set up any elaborate plans to remove images from your phone to park them elsewhere — not if you're using the iCloud Photo Library. An obscure control in the Photos settings called Optimize iPhone Storage stores only the thumbnails, not your original photos and videos, letting you save space while keeping your images accessible. As long as you have enough space on iCloud to store your originals, you can keep as many photos and videos as you want without maxing out your handset.

Apple's iCloud Photo Library is a huge convenience — it stores and displays your photos on all your devices. If you're running out of space on some of those devices, deleting photos from your camera roll also deletes them everywhere, which is not what you want.

Set up iCloud Photo storage

Instead of deleting images, you can save on the space they take up when stored at their original resolution. With iOS 15, you can enable the Optimize iPhone storage control in your Photos settings, which lets your iPhone convert your high-resolution images into lightweight thumbnails. The original photos still reside in iCloud, and you can also back them up on your Mac or an external drive. Using this optimization control gives you the best of both worlds: All your photos are available to you whenever and wherever you want to see them, and you get to salvage your storage space. Here's how to set it

Step 1: Tap Settings > [your name].

Optimize iphone storage vs download and keep originals

Step 2: Tap iCloud > Photos.

Optimize iphone storage vs download and keep originals

Step 3: Switch on iCloud Photos.

Optimize iphone storage vs download and keep originals

Step 4: Check Optimize iPhone storage.

If you check Download and keep originals, all photos you shoot on your iPhone stay on your handset in full resolution. Plus, any photo that you take, store on your Mac, or otherwise store on your iCloud Photo Library will also download to your iPhone in high resolution.

Optimize iPhone storage will not immediately change your images into thumbnails. You could see a combination of thumbnails interspersed with original, high-resolution images if your phone has enough memory to support them. 

Optimize iphone storage vs download and keep originals

Your phone’s storage works in the background to keep track of images you’ve recently viewed compared to how much storage you use for apps and downloads. It will always keep the most recent media shot or viewed in high resolution. Other factors involved include the amount of storage space and memory that your phone has and the number of images on your phone.

People with lots of space on their phones will have more high-resolution images and videos stored locally than those with less space. Don’t worry about losing your high-resolution images when your phone compresses them to save space. You can always revert compressed photos to their initial form by downloading them. You will see the compressed images downloading in real-time, as they have a download circle at the bottom right as they flow in from iCloud.

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Maybe for most us, download and keep originals would be a strange word. We can understand the meaning of the words, but don’t know its using.

Actually, this function is very useful and you would need it when you want to find deleted photos back or keep photos on iCloud and delete from iPhone. Here is words about for you to know more about it and handle it.

  • Part 1: What is Download and Keep Originals?
  • Part 2: How to turn on/off Download and Keep Originals?
  • Part 3: How to fix Download and Keep Originals not working?
  • Part 4: How to transfer the originals-quality-photos to PC?

Part 1: What is Download and Keep Originals?

Only you know this word and its function, you can handle and use it by your own.

Download and keep originals is the feature of iCloud Photo Library. iCloud Photo Library saves all types of images from all your iOS devices with the same iCloud account. When you turn on this feature, it will download a copy of all iCloud photos on your iPhone/iPad/iPod. And there are two options provided here, "Optimize iPhone Device" and "Download and Keep Originals".

Download and Keep Original: iCloud photos will save the original, full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud and devices.

Optimize iPhone Storage: iCloud photos will automatically manage the size of the library on the device. Your original photos and videos are stored in iCloud, and space-saving versions are stored on your device.

Optimize iphone storage vs download and keep originals

Part 2: How to turn on/off Download and Keep Originals?

Now, you have known what download and keep originals is. Next, here is details about how to use it.

Step 1: Turn on your iOS device and open Settings app.

Step 2: Tap your iCloud account and the locate the iCloud option.

Step 3: Tap Photos to enter the Photos interface.

Step 4: Turn on the iCloud Photos and then you can find these two options, Optimize iPhone Device and Download and Keep Originals.

Optimize iphone storage vs download and keep originals

Part 3: How to fix Download and Keep Originals not working?

For some reasons, there would be some problems in its working. Here are some tips for you to fix these issues.

1. Keep your iOS device in a good network connection. Moreover, you'd better charge your iPhone, iPad or iPod to make sure it has enough battery.

2. Sometimes all you need is to turn your iPhone off and back on. Even though most people say this as a joke, it can actually fix the majority of tech-related issues.

3. If storage isn’t the issue, then it could be an iCloud problem. By signing out and back into your iCloud account, you can check if this is the case.

Part 4: How to transfer the originals-quality-photos to PC?

In some cases, after copying iPhone photos to computer, you notice that they are only optimized versions. How to export full-resolution pictures from iOS device to computer?

Here you need AnyMP4 iPhone Transfer Pro

  • Transfer iPhone photos, music, videos, contacts, text messages and voicemails from iPhone to computer
  • Import videos, pictures, songs and others from computer to iPhone/iPad/iPod
  • Transfer files among iPhone, iPad and iPod, and support iOS 16/15/14/13
  • Manage and backup iPhone SMS, contacts and more

Step 1. Download and launch the program

At first, you can download the iPhone Transfer here and launch it on your computer. It will not take long to download and install the program. After the successful installation, you can see the ultra initial interface.

Optimize iphone storage vs download and keep originals

Step 2. Connect iPhone to the program

Connect your iPhone to the program via USB cable. This versatile transfer software for iPhone will automatically detect the iPhone files. You can preview the music and movies in the preview window.

Optimize iphone storage vs download and keep originals

Step 3. Select iPhone photos

The next step is to select the iPhone photos that you'd like to transfer to computer. Choose "Photo" category and then check the photos. You can check all to select the all iPhone photos or just check the photos you need.

Optimize iphone storage vs download and keep originals

Step 4. Transfer iPhone photos to iTunes and computer

Since you've checked the iPhone photos you want to transfer to Computer, click "Export file(s) to PC" button to transfer the photos to computer for backup.

Whats the difference between Optimise iPhone storage and download and keep originals?

Download and Keep Original: iCloud photos will save the original, full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud and devices. Optimize iPhone Storage: iCloud photos will automatically manage the size of the library on the device.

What happens if you optimize iPhone storage?

With Optimize Storage, smaller, space-saving photos and videos are kept on your device while all of your original, full-resolution versions are stored in iCloud. And as long as you have enough space in iCloud, you can store as many photos and videos as you want.

Should I use optimize photos on iPhone?

Use Optimize Storage to free up space on your iPhone. Pictures and videos take up a ton of storage space, and for good reason — all that data is what makes your photographs and snaps look phenomenal.

What is the best way to manage storage on iPhone?

Open your iPhone's Settings menu, tap General and go to iPhone Storage. You'll see a list of your apps along with how much space each app occupies and the last time you used it. Scroll through the list and try deleting apps that you haven't used in a long time. Get rid of apps you haven't used in a long time.