iCloud Photos Sync brings an Apple photo library into your Frameleaf account and keeps checking for new items on your server. It is a one-way import: changes in Frameleaf are not sent back to iCloud, and deleting something in iCloud does not delete its Frameleaf copy.
This guide focuses on the first run and the checks that make a large import easier to manage.
Prepare the connection
Ask your server administrator to complete the iCloud Photos Sync server setup, including the private bridge, encryption key and staging storage. Open Frameleaf over HTTPS.
Have your Apple account password and a trusted Apple device ready. Enable Access iCloud Data on the Web in your Apple account settings. Use verification from the trusted device; SMS codes are not supported. Advanced Data Protection can require renewed approval for web access.
Keep enough free disk space for imported files and the staging budget. Staging is working space for downloads and recovery copies, separate from your storage quota.
Connect and control the first run
- Open Utilities → iCloud Photos → Add connection.
- Choose Connect account and complete Apple sign-in and device verification.
- The first sync starts automatically and initially includes every photo library until the source list is read.
- To begin with a smaller sample, wait for the libraries and albums to appear, choose Cancel, select the albums you want, then Save sync preferences → Sync now. Items already imported remain.
This order matters: selecting a small album is a way to control the run after the source list appears, rather than a promise that nothing downloads before that point.
Select Personal or Shared Photo Library as appropriate. Apple Shared Albums are a different feature and are not included. Leaving every source album unselected means all albums and photos outside albums in the chosen libraries, so select an album explicitly when you want a small trial.
Pick preferences deliberately
Edited versions imports Apple’s finished edits as separate photos stacked with their originals. It starts on. Hidden photos starts off; turn it on only after reviewing access and unlocking your own Locked session. Hidden items arrive Locked.
Start with the default single concurrent download. Increase concurrency only after observing free space and server load. A larger number can increase working-space pressure without making a limited source connection faster.
Save preferences after each change. Use a connection name that tells you whose library it represents without exposing the Apple account email in a public screenshot.
Review a varied sample
Check an original, an Apple-edited item, a Live Photo, a video and membership in a selected album. Review Hidden items privately after unlocking. Apple adjustment settings, special edit effects, captions, locations and time zones do not all transfer through this connection; keep a separate source export when those details matter to your archive.
Read Reconciliation rather than comparing one total. It distinguishes imported items, exact existing matches, repairs and cases that need a decision. A photo deleted in iCloud is kept here. A photo you trashed in Frameleaf is not brought back by the sync. If both sides changed a detail, your Frameleaf change is kept.
Recover without starting over
- Waiting for iCloud: allow the connection to recover; repeatedly signing in does not solve rate limiting.
- Apple needs sign-in: open Review connection and complete the requested verification. Repeated failed sign-ins trigger a 15-minute lockout.
- Staging budget full: review the budget and free space with the administrator, then retry. Leave the staging folder’s working files to Frameleaf.
- Ambiguous Live Photo or multiple matches: use the review action and inspect the candidate before choosing.
- Interrupted run: progress is saved; use Resume or Retry on this connection. A download interrupted mid-file starts that file again.
Disconnecting forgets the Apple session and stops future imports. Imported photos remain. Keep a database and media backup of Frameleaf; a one-way sync that keeps deletions is still different from a versioned backup.
The iPhone app and iCloud Photos Sync coordinate matching for the same source items. Before changing both at once, check the app handover details.
Reference: Import from iCloud Photos
Reply with the connection state and the stage where it stopped, with Apple account details and private photo information removed.