My Photo Stream vs iCloud: Everything You Need to Know

Apple recently announced that My Photo Stream will shut down on July 26, 2023. iCloud Photos is going to replace it as a cloud-based photo syncing service. The news means that My Photo Stream may not be available to new and existing users that are already familiar with the service. They will have to transition to iCloud Photos.

To help learn more about the two services, this article covers everything you need to know about using iCloud Photos, including what My Photo Stream is, the differences between My Photo Stream and iCloud, and more.

Part 1: What is My Photo Stream?

My Photo Stream is a free storage service developed by Apple Inc. It allows its users to view and access their image library across different Apple devices, such as iPads, iPhones, and MacBooks.

My Photo Stream uploads your recent pictures (except Live Photos), so you can view and download them on another Apple device. It’s like how iCloud Photos works, but My Photo Stream was born before iCloud Photos.

My Photo Stream stores your recent images from each of your devices up to 1000 pictures in the cloud for 30 days, after which they are deleted. For most users, My Photo Stream has a limited space of 1000 photos and only keeps these images for 30 days. This is one of the reasons Apple launched iCloud Photos.

Unlike My Photo Stream, iCloud Photos allows you to store more than 1000 photos in iCloud for more than 30 days. However, because iCloud storage is Cloud-based, you have a limited free storage of 5GB and have to pay for more storage space when you exhaust it.

We explain more differences between iCloud Photos and My Photo Stream later in this article. Let’s first check out how to find My Photo Stream on other devices.

Part 2: Where is My Photo Stream on iPhone and Other Devices?

My Photo Stream is available on different Apple devices. However, you have to set up My Photo Stream to gain access to the service on your Apple devices.

How to Set Up My Photo Stream on iPhone/iPad

Follow these steps to set up My Photo Stream on your iPhone/iPad:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone and tap on your Apple ID name.
2. Scroll down to iCloud and select Photos.
3. Enable the Upload to My Photo Stream toggle switch to set up Photo Stream.

   

How to Set Up My Photo Stream on MacBook:

1. Open the built-in Photos app on your Mac and select Photos in the Menu bar on top of the screen
2. Select Preferences under Photos and go to iCloud
3. Tap on the check box for My Photo Stream to complete the setup.

   

How to Access My Photo Stream on These Apple Devices

Find your device below and follow the steps highlighted underneath to access My Photo Stream.

On iPhone/iPad

Follow these simple steps to access My Photo Stream on your iPhone/iPad:

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone/iPad and go to Albums.
2. Find and click on My Photo Stream under Albums to see the recent images stored in My Photo Stream.

On MacBook

Follow these simple steps to access My Photo Stream on MacBook:

1. Open the in-built Photos app on your MacBook.
2. Hover your clicker on the Sidebar at the left side of the screen and click on Albums. Alternatively, you can click on Library and then Album.
3. Find and click on My Photo Stream under Album to access your recently stored images.

On Windows PC

You can access My Photo Stream on a Windows PC using the iCloud for Windows app. So, if you don’t have the app, you need to download and install it first. After, sign in to iCloud using your Apple ID and password and enable photos.

When you enable Photos, iCloud for Windows creates an iPhone Photos image folder in File Explorer. Then My Photo Stream downloads recent photos taken on your iOS devices to the Downloads folder. There are different ways to access the Photo Stream service depending on the Windows version on your PC.

Find your Windows version below and follow the steps underneath to access My Photo Stream on your PC.

For Windows 10

• Type in iCloud Photos in the Windows Search Bar.
• Select iCloud Photos - Desktop App in the search results.

For Windows 8

• Select iCloud Photos from the Windows Start page.

For Windows 8.1

• Click the Down button from the Windows start page.
• Select iCloud and then click the iCloud Photos app.

For Windows 7

• Click the Windows Start icon at the bottom of the screen and select Pictures.
• Check the Panel on the left for the Favorites Menu and select iCloud Photos.

On Apple TV

You can also access My Photo Stream on your Apple TV using the following steps.

For Apple TV HD

• Sign in to iCloud using your Apple ID and Password details
• Go to Settings then Accounts and tap on iCloud.
• Turn on My Photo Stream.

For Apple TV (2nd and 3rd Generation)

• Sign in to iCloud using your Apple ID and Password
• Go to Settings and select iCloud.
• From the iCloud Photo Settings, enable My Photo Stream.

Part 3: My Photo Stream vs iCloud Photos

You may be wondering: Is iCloud Photos better than My Photo Stream? Let’s compare both storage services to see which comes out on top.

Cost

My Photo Stream is a free storage service and it doesn’t charge you for extra space.

Though iCloud gives you 5GB of free storage space after you sign up, the space is often exhausted quickly because it is you share it across all your active iCloud services including, photos, email, and iCloud Drive.

When you exhaust the initial free storage, you have to pay for more space. Many users have more than 5GB of photos already and will need more iCloud storage.

iCloud payment structure:

• 50GB for $1.29 monthly
• 200GB for $3.99 monthly
• 2 Terabytes for $12.99 monthly.

Since My Photo Stream is free, it is better than iCloud photos in cost.

Storage

iCloud Photos and My Photo Stream store your photos differently. iCloud Photos stores the images on your device in lower resolution and file size. It also allows you to store a maximum of 1000 photos (except Live Photos), which are deleted automatically after 30 days.

iCloud Photos, on the other hand, is a cloud-based storage service that also optimizes the local storage on your device.

iCloud Photos allows you to save the lower resolution of your images on the device to maximize storage space but it backs up the high-res pictures to iCloud. Also, you can get more storage space if you wish, allowing you to store thousands of photos and videos.

Because iCloud storage is cloud-based, allows you to store more than 1000 photos, and gives you up to 2 Terabytes of space, it’s better than My Photo Stream in storage space.

Supported formats

What kind of picture formats are supported?

iCloud Photos uploads photos in GIF, JPEG, HEIF, HEVC, MP4, PNG, RAW, and TIFF formats. It also uploads MP4 and HEVC videos.

By contrast, My Photo Stream only uploads pictures in JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and most raw formats. Also, it doesn’t upload or sync your Live Photos and videos.

So. if you are a photographer or content creator with photos and videos in several formats, choose iCloud for your photo backup.

Supported platforms and devices

My Phone Stream supports several Apple devices including iPhones, iPads, iPod touch, Apple TV, and Windows PC. iCloud Photos supports all these devices too including Apple Watch and iCloud website via iCloud.com.

How are Photos Stored?

iCloud Photos and My Photo Stream store your photos when the device is plugged in, locked, and connected to Wi-Fi.

When you enable My Photo Stream, it backs up low versions of your photos on your device storage to optimize storage space. This is why it can’t take more than 1000 photos, and the images are deleted monthly. However, it saves full-resolution pictures on your Mac.

iCloud stores high-resolution formats of your photos on the cloud and lets you decide what resolution you want to keep on the device to optimize storage space.

Part 4: Choose My Photo Stream or iCloud

Which storage service is the best for you?

Since My Photo Stream is set to shut down on July 26, 2023, the question of which of these storage services to pick isn’t a question anymore. However, for those who still have a choice between My Photo Stream and iCloud Photos, here is a guide for which to go for.

If you have lots of photos and videos on your device or you work with images in several formats, iCloud Photos is best. Not only do you get to save different formats of photos but you can get up to 2TB space to work with.

My Photo Stream is ideal if you have more than 5GB of photos and you are trying to save money. You can save high-res photos on your Mac.

Part 5: Back Up Your Photos to PC

Do you need a safe and secure alternative to back up your photos and videos without using iCloud or My Photo Stream? Try Wondershare MobileTrans, your all-in-one software tool to back up, restore, and view photos anytime you want. MobileTrans backup is compatible with Android and iOS devices and it allows you to back up your photos without a Wi-Fi or internet connection.

Try it Free Try it Free

safe & secure

MobileTrans doesn’t charge you for extra space and you can save thousands of full-resolution images on your PC. Your data is safe and secure because it is encrypted with a password only you have access to, so you have nothing to worry about.

MobileTrans offers you the following convenience:

• Back up and restore 18 different types of data.
• You can move files from your phone to your PC and import them from your PC back to your phone without the internet.
• Affordable and user-friendly.
• Safe and secure.
• Cost-efficient and easy for data recovery.

Conclusion

iCloud Photos is taking over from My Photo Stream come July 26th, 2023. So, if you aren’t familiar with iCloud Photos, it’s high time you learned. For those that still have a choice between both storage services, iCloud will serve you better when you have multiple image and video files stored in different formats. My Photo Stream is ideal if you want to save money.

Try it Free Try it Free

safe & secure