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ivanbelarus
User level: Level 1 (9 points)

iCloud Photos synchronization not working on iPhone 16 Pro Max

iPhone 16 Pro Max - iCloud Photos Sync Not Working


Device: iPhone 16 Pro Max

iOS: 27.0.1

iCloud Photos: Enabled

Storage: Optimize iPhone Storage


I am experiencing a serious iCloud Photos synchronization issue that started recently.


New photos taken on the iPhone are not uploading to iCloud. At the same time, photos already visible in the Photos app cannot be used normally.


Current problems:


- Photos do not upload from iPhone to iCloud

- Photos uploaded to iCloud from my Mac do not appear on the iPhone

- AirDrop fails

- WhatsApp sharing gets stuck on "Preparing Media"

- Instagram sharing fails

- Duplicate inside the Photos app fails

- Exporting/saving some photos fails


The issue is not limited to third-party apps because Apple's own Duplicate and AirDrop functions also fail.


IMPORTANT TESTS


1. If I open an affected photo and tap Edit, I can see the high-resolution version load correctly. However, after exiting Edit, the photo still cannot be shared, duplicated or synced.


2. Using iPhone Mirroring on my Mac, I can drag the same affected photo directly from the iPhone Photos app to the Mac. It transfers quickly and appears to be full resolution.


This suggests that the original photo data is still accessible on the iPhone.


3. The Photos app previously showed approximately "Syncing 258 items" and the number did not change for a long time.


I selected "Sync Now / Sync Today", but synchronization still did not complete.


4. I created a completely new screenshot on the iPhone. It appeared normally in Photos but did NOT appear on iCloud.com.


5. I performed a reverse sync test. I uploaded a new image from my Mac to iCloud Photos. The upload to iCloud was successful, but the image did NOT appear on the iPhone.


Current synchronization status:


iPhone -> iCloud: NOT WORKING

iCloud -> iPhone: NOT WORKING

Mac -> iCloud: WORKING


TROUBLESHOOTING ALREADY COMPLETED


- Restarted iPhone

- Reset Network Settings

- Completely erased the iPhone

- Restored the iPhone from the latest iCloud backup

- Contacted Apple Support

- Tested Wi-Fi

- Tested 5G

- Used Sync Now / Sync Today

- Tested newly taken photos

- Tested newly created screenshots

- Tested AirDrop

- Tested WhatsApp

- Tested Instagram

- Tested Duplicate inside Photos

- Tested Edit mode

- Tested iCloud.com

- Tested Mac -> iCloud upload

- Tested iPhone Mirroring transfer


The problem still persists.


There is no "Unable to Upload" album visible in Photos.


I use Optimize iPhone Storage and I do not have enough free space to download my entire iCloud Photos library using "Download and Keep Originals".


The iPhone has already been erased and restored from an iCloud backup, but the problem returned.


I would prefer not to set up the iPhone as a completely new device because this would require rebuilding all of my settings and applications.


Based on the tests above, the problem appears to be related specifically to the Photos/iCloud Photos synchronization process on this iPhone.


Can Apple check or reset the iCloud Photos synchronization state for this device/account without requiring another complete factory reset?


Please also investigate whether this could be an iOS 27.0.1 Photos/iCloud synchronization bug.

Posted on Oct 2, 2026 1:13 AM

3 replies

mjlevors
User level: Level 1 (8 points)

Oct 24, 2026 3:14 PM in response to ivanbelarus

I am having the same issue for about a month now. It started randomly. The only way to get the photos to sync is to fully sign out of icloud on the phone and sign back in. Then the syncing que syncs those photos, but any new photos taken still do not sync.


I was traveling when this started and had to sign out 3 times to get my vacation photos to sync to icloud. I did confirm that the photos were showing up on icloud.com.


The photos would not sync to my ipad pro and shared albums disappeared. Now I am also getting duplicate reminders and multiple copies of my Safari bookmarks.


I have contacted Apple support and a senior advisor has forwarded this on to the engineers to review. So far I have no fix and this is getting beyond frustrating. I am on ios 27.0.1 with an iphone 16 pro max. My wife is also having this exact same issue. We share an icloud family plan and have separate icloud logins, but the same problem.


Has anyone found a fix for this or heard back from support with an answer of anykind?

Charles Foodie Geek
User level: Level 1 (0 points)

Oct 12, 2026 11:22 AM in response to ivanbelarus

Turning off adaptive power helped me, partially. A group of photos and videos from yesterday suddenly appeared on Mac OS, however, another group of 24 (mostly videos) from the day the problem started have yet to appear.


Both devices (Apple 16 Pro Max & Airbook M2) are both running 27.0.1

Charles Foodie Geek
User level: Level 1 (0 points)

Oct 12, 2026 11:25 AM in response to Charles Foodie Geek

Also, the missing files are not showing up on iCloud.com either.

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256368948