Apple communicated that his service My Photo Stream will end on July 26th and invite everyone to migrate to iCloud Photos. If you’re still using My Photo Stream, you’ll be able to access the cloud for 30 days starting July 26.
Apple closes “My Stream Photos”, space to iCloud
My Photos Stream was the predecessor to iCloud Photos. It was free but limited to one maximum of 1,000 images and video clipswhich synced across all Apple devices via the cloud.
Apple didn’t explain the reason for shutting down the service, but iCloud Photos is clearly the newest and most complete alternative for photo and video backups. And, unlike My Photo Stream, it also allows Apple to earn in terms of storage costs: it’s a paid service.
“iCloud Photos is the best way to keep the photos and videos you take up-to-date across all your devices and keep them safely in iCloud,” Apple wrote in an email sent to anyone still using My Photos Stream.
Apple will not delete photos and videos from devices: the shots you have on your iPhone are safe. However, them will remove from the cloud 30 days from July 26 (so on August 25th) and it will disable the sync. From July 26, you will no longer be able to upload photos and videos.
The service arrived alongside iCloud in 2011, when Apple was still trying to figure out the best way to upload photos and videos to the cloud. Apple is now betting on iCloud Photos, which offers up to 5GB of storage for free – after that you’ll have to start paying.
However, there is no shortage of alternatives. You can use different cloud services, external drives or NAS: here you will find a guide to choose which is the best solution.