Apple Adds Uploading Capabilities to iCloud Photos on iCloud.com Beta Site

Apple has recently updated its iCloud.com beta site for developers, adding the ability to upload images to iCloud Photo Library for the first time. The standard iCloud.com site currently allows users to view all of their iCloud Photo Library images, as well as download and delete them, but there are no tools to allow for the uploading of photos.

On the iCloud beta site, it's now possible to upload JPGs, but the site does not currently accept other image and video formats like .PNG, .MOV, .MP4, and more. When a file is uploaded to the site, it syncs instantly to all of a user's iOS devices, much like a photo taken on an iPhone or iPad or added to iCloud Photo Library via the iOS Photos app.

The presence of an uploading tool on the beta site means that the feature will likely make its way to the main iCloud site in the near future, giving users a way to add to their photo libraries from their Macs and PCs.

icloudbetasiteuploadtool

Toolbar on beta.icloud.com site at top, non-beta iCloud.com toolbar on bottom

Currently in beta and introduced with iOS 8.1, iCloud Photo Library is designed to store all of the photos and videos that a user takes in iCloud, making them available on all iOS devices and Macs. iCloud Photo Library images can be viewed in the Photos app on iOS or through iCloud.com on the Mac, and the upcoming Photos app that Apple is creating for Macs will also work with iCloud Photo Library.

While users now have the ability to upload all of their photos to iCloud Photo Library via the iCloud.com beta site, doing so uses iCloud storage space. Apple offers 5GB of storage space for free, with additional plans ranging from $0.99 for 20GB of storage space to $19.99 for 1TB of storage space.

After being tested on the iCloud.com beta site, the iCloud Photo Library upload feature will make its way to the official iCloud site, but it is unknown how long testing will last.

(Thanks, Konrad!)

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Top Rated Comments

ilfn143 Avatar
134 months ago
onedrive is light year ahead

edit: just got an email from MS :)
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DeanL Avatar
134 months ago
Great!
Still waiting for OS X's new Photos app though.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Belmont31R Avatar
134 months ago
in what world?

Dropbox and Google Drive
1TB – $9.99

iCloud
1TB – $19.99




Is Apple data mining your uploads to sell ads? How much is a much better privacy policy and company profile matter to you?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MaSx Avatar
134 months ago
LOL. I swear day by day Apple showing how late and slow they've gotten with the industry. Industry moving too fast for them (Yes, they don't follow others but their own terms) but it's 2014 for pete's sake and we still have 5GB iCloud storage space. Pathetic.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nutmac Avatar
134 months ago
While users now have the ability to upload all of their photos to iCloud Photo Library via the iCloud.com beta site, doing so uses iCloud storage space. Apple offers 5GB of storage space for free, with additional plans ranging from $0.99 for 20GB of storage space to $19.99 for 1TB of storage space.
A bit off topic but $240/year for 1TB sounds insanely expensive compared to competitors.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blablabla23 Avatar
134 months ago
Is Apple data mining your uploads to sell ads? How much is a much better privacy policy and company profile matter to you?

jesus. The issue wasn't if the price tag was "worth it", but simply proline's erroneous statement that iCloud's pricing was "in the same ballpark as Dropbox or Google".

Take some time to read before hammering out a response won't you.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)