WASHINGTON — Our phones contain most of our memories now. Because it is so easy to take and store photos, they hold records of the big and small moments that make up our lives.
As with most aspects of this digital world, people want to feel certain that their photos will always be there for them to look back upon and smile. But an emailed question from a viewer named T.J. summed up the fear that many iPhone users have conveyed recently.
THE QUESTION
Will photos on iPhones be deleted once Apple discontinues My Photo Stream?
THE SOURCE
THE ANSWER
No, the upcoming end of My Photo Stream does not mean iPhone users' photos will be deleted from their phones.
WHAT WE FOUND
My Photo Stream is a feature that lets Apple users share their photos across more than one device. If someone takes a picture on their iPhone, My Photo Stream lets them easily look at it on their iPad or computer. My Photo Stream is a feature of Apple iCloud storage system that makes new photos viewable for 30 days.
Apple announced it will disable My Photo Stream on July 26. As of July 26, new photos are no longer being uploaded to users' folders.
On its website, Apple has a page devoted to the end of My Photo Stream in which it explains that this will not delete any of the user's pictures.
All the originals will still remain on the device they used to take them, so as long as the user has that device, they have those photos.
Between now and July 26, users can go into My Photo Stream, click on the available pictures, and save them to all their other devices if they would like to have originals saved in more than one place.