How To Unmerge Photos On Iphone

When everything works equally expected in iCloud Photo Library, you not just have access to all your images and videos on every device logged into the aforementioned iCloud account, only they're all backed up by Apple, too.

Yet, disorder can enter this perfect realm unintentionally. Macworld reader Jack and his girlfriend—let's call her "Jill"—tripped into a situation when she logged into his Apple ID to install an app he'd purchased. (Sure, technically, that'south not how Apple wants you to share apps. It would rather people utilise Family Sharing, but that feature remains weak and inconsistent, and I understand when people are driven to use this alternate arroyo.)

Unfortunately, Jill remained logged in and had iCloud Photos turned on (in Settings > your account > iCloud > Photos). Past the time they realized it, all of the media on her telephone had uploaded and synced to iCloud Photo Library.

Jack is wondering how to return to the state before this all happened. At that place's no manner to put the photo toothpaste dorsum into the iCloud tube, merely I have a solution that might piece of work. It requires a Mac—or rather, two, as you need 1 for each person'due south account.

If Jack and Jill are lucky, they accept never owned the same model of iPhone at the same time. Why is this important? Because the smart album feature in Photos for macOS only relevant filter works on camera model, including every model of iPhone. Apple doesn't have whatsoever other characteristic, similar using raw EXIF information or a device series number, to aid otherwise. Only by camera, yes, indeed.

(If they're not lucky, run across below.)

Y'all'll need to practice this for each person's drove on their own Mac. Assuming y'all accept a full-resolution downloads of media in Photos, backup the Photos library before proceeding so if you make an error, you can quit Photos, restore the old Photos library, and start over.

1. In Photos for macOS select File > New Smart Album.
2. Name the album something descriptive, similar "Jill's Photos."
3. In the criteria for Friction match the Following Condition, select Photographic camera Model, Is, and so use the popup menu to scroll through to find "Jill's" phone. (For example, my wife has an iPhone SE, so I know all photos taken by that were imported from pictures she sent me.)
4. For multiple phone models, click the plus (+) sign at the end of the first lucifer item, choose All from the Friction match [bare] of the Post-obit Condition menu at the pinnacle, and and then fill out the new matching line with the next phone model. Repeat as needed.
5. Click OK.
6. Select the album in the sidebar.
7. Choose Edit > Select All (or press Command-A).
8. Control-click on whatsoever photo and select Delete [number] Photos and confirm when prompted. (The Delete central won't work in a smart anthology.)

IDG

A smart anthology can assistance you find media captured on some other phone.

If Jack and Jill have owned the aforementioned model of phone at unlike times, y'all can add together engagement boundaries to the smart album and create different smart albums for each range. You tin too employ the location map (select Places in the sidebar) to detect places one person has been and the other hasn't to select groups of photos and remove them.

So that'due south the expert scenario. The bad scenario is that Jack and Jill have had the same model of telephone at the same time. In that example, it volition unfortunately require a lot of tedious review. I'd propose marking unwanted photos past each party in their ain copies of Photos for macOS with a keyword (like "removeme"), which can be applied to many photos and videos at once via the Info pane (Window > Info).

Y'all can then use the smart album feature to filter by that keyword. Later following step ane and 2 to a higher place, select criteria as Keyword, Is, and and so find the keyword in the popup list. You can then follow steps five to 8 above.

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Source: https://www.macworld.com/article/231925/accidentally-merged-a-set-of-photos-in-icloud-photo-library-heres-a-fix.html

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