Apple Photostream help needed

Factual Questions
1

I just traded in my iPhone 4s for an Android phone. I have about 500 pictures on Photostream. I typically delete them from my phone to save space. I use a Windows 8 PC and I have the iCloud Control Panel installed, which I thought was keeping a local copy of my Photostream pictures on my PC. I was wrong. There are only 34 pictures in the Photostream folder on the PC. No problem, I think. I have an iPad as well and I can save them from there. But… it’s a 1st generation iPad without a camera, so even though I can see all my Photostream pics, I cannot save them down to the iPad (as far as I can tell.)

So… any ideas how I can get my pictures off of Photostream and onto my PC, iPad or newphone?

The only thing I can think of is finding someone with an iPhone or iPad who would be willing to let me sign on with my account, download the pictures and then copy them off. I might be able to pull that off but I was hoping there was an easier way I’m overlooking.

Thanks!

2

bump

3

Don’t know what iOS version you’re using on your iPad, but within iOS7 you can save pictures from your Photo Stream to your Camera Roll. From there you can connect your iPad to your PC and transfer the photos to your HD.

It’s very easy but I can explain the procedure if you want to.

4

Thanks, but the problem is that I have a 1st generation iPad without a camera, and thus no Camera Roll.

5

Aha, I didn’t realise that.

You can email all the pictures to yourself. Although that will be tedious.

Have you tried connecting the iPad to your computer and checking if you can access it through that?

6

Yes, email is an option but you’re right about it being tedious. Yes, I cannot access the photos connected to my PC. They’re being held hostage…

7

Are you positive your Photostream actually has 500 photos in it, rather than 34? They are supposed to be automatically deleted after 30 days, as I understand it.

I haven’t used it, but I would assume the iCloud Control Panel would allow you to access all the photos in the Photostream… right?

8

Yes, I can see all the photos from my iPad. I just can’t download them. I don’t think they get deleted after 30 days. That would defeat the purpose.

9

Huh. That’s what Apple says, anyway.

"How long are My Photo Stream photos stored in iCloud?

The photos you upload to My Photo Stream are stored in iCloud for 30 days to give your devices plenty of time to connect and download them."

This thread has some more info about how it works… allegedly, they are removed from iCloud after 30 days, but not from the Photostream album on your device[s]. If that’s the case, it sounds like they are locally stored on your iPad, even though it lacks a camera roll.

Which doesn’t really help answer your question of how to easily transfer them, unfortunately.

10

Huh, how do you like that? Ignorance fought. That could explain the 34 photos it did download.

11

Yesterday it popped in my head that you can also try and install Dropbox on your iPad. I know you can access your camera roll via your computer, maybe that will also work for your photo stream.

12

Thanks, Alba. I think I solved it in a similar way. I found a Photobucket app for the ipad which does access my Photostream. I’m uploading the pictures to Photobucket and then I can download them to my PC. Thanks all!