iCloud

Keep Items Only in iCloud

Free up space on this iPhoneiPad. Your items stay in iCloud and download again when you open them.

At the top of the album list, tap Settings (if you don't see it, tap … first).
Under iCloud, tap Free Up Space on This Device.
When it finishes, the status under Sync Now says how much space was freed.

Only items that are already in iCloud are removed from this iPhoneiPad. Their previews stay, so the grid looks the same as before, and an item downloads again when you open it. Albums that don't sync keep everything here.

TipWhen you export or back up items that are only in iCloud, choose Download and Export to include them.

Videos

Videos don't download by themselves: they stay in iCloud until you play them, so a device with less storage doesn't fill up. Open one and it downloads, with Cancel if you change your mind. Without a connection, the video says so and offers Try Again.

To watch offline, go to Settings, and under iCloud tap Download All Videos. The row above it, Videos only in iCloud, shows how many there are and how much space they take. The iCloud only filter in an album shows just these videos.

What the Marks Mean

A mark in the top-right corner of a tile says where the item is:

A cloud with a checkmark: it's in iCloud.
An outlined cloud: it's waiting to upload from this iPhoneiPad.
A dashed cloud: it's stored in iCloud and downloads when you open it.
A crossed-out cloud: it stays on this iPhoneiPad and doesn't go to iCloud.

Next to an album, a cloud with a checkmark, an outline or a crossed-out cloud says the same about the whole album. Under its name, small counts show what's still on the way: an arrow up for items waiting to upload, an arrow down for items waiting to download, a dashed cloud for items only in iCloud, and an hourglass for items that another device hasn't uploaded yet. With Everything chosen, marks appear only while something is still waiting.

Stop Syncing an Album with Items Only in iCloud

When an album stops syncing, it's removed from iCloud. If some of its items are only there, SilentBox asks Download … items first? — tap Download and Stop Syncing. A card shows the download, and iCloud sync for the album turns off when it finishes.

NoteIf an item can't be downloaded, for example because you're offline, the album keeps syncing and nothing is removed from iCloud. Try again when you're online. Items of that album in the Trash that were never downloaded lose their content — SilentBox tells you how many before you confirm.