Facebook has begun notifying users who upload photos from their iOS devices that their synced albums will be deleted next month (via TechCrunch).

Facebook's iOS photo syncing feature was launched in 2012, and let users automatically upload all photos on their mobile devices to a private album called 'Synced' or 'Synced from Phone'.

The idea behind the feature was that copying the photos makes it easier to find and share pictures with friends on the social network.

Moments
Users are now being informed by email and via app notifications that these albums will cease to exist on July 7, and that they should either download the albums, or install the company's photo-centric Moments app to retain their uploaded status.

News of the change has seen the Moments app shoot up the App Store's Top Free Apps chart, where it currently ranks #2 ahead of Facebook's hugely popular Messenger app, which sits at #3.

The forced adoption of yet another Facebook app has caused consternation among a number of social media account holders, who were subject to a similar heavy-handed approach in early 2014.


On that occasion, the company pushed all users to download Facebook Messenger after it removed the chat feature from its flagship app. Messenger has remained among the App Store's top-ranking free apps ever since.

This month, the company also announced that it would be removing chat from its mobile web app too, leaving users with no other option but to download Messenger if they want to continue using the feature on their phones or tablets.

In related news, Facebook announced this week that it has begun rolling out a new 360-degree photo feature across the social network, which will let users view uploaded panoramic shots and 360-degree photos in a more immersive way.

grand-canyon-full-screen-panorama
Photos compatible with the 360 feature are identified by a compass icon on the right-hand side of the shot once it has been uploaded. Mobile users can explore a photo by tapping and dragging it or by moving their phone, while desktop users can click and drag it with their mouse or trackpad.

Moments is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

Tubamajuba Avatar
98 months ago
I'm not sure why people are complaining since Facebook is free. If you were actually paying for the product, then you would have grounds for complaints.
Mark? Is that you?
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Glassed Silver Avatar
98 months ago
My God, if this company tries to harvest as much frustration as possible they are doing an amazing job at it!

Glassed Silver:mac
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
smacrumon Avatar
98 months ago
This is why Facebook is one of the most hated platforms and why users are leaving. Facebook is MySpace, full of spam, hatred, abandoned pages etcetera. This certainly wasn't Zuckerberg's vision, but is the result of the trolls running the show now. Ever heard of a great user experience, Facebook? Forcing users to do something with a threat of blowing up their collection of photos is disgusting. Keep coercing customers, Facebook. See how that pans out long term.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
25ghosts Avatar
98 months ago
Facebook is the definition of Social Media. Only since its arrival socializing has suffered. It is about the worst thing one can treat himself with. Facebook is a one way ticket to becoming unsocial. 1000s of Virtual Friends and friends loosing their dignity with selfies etc. Zuckerberg had to create Facebook to get friends. No one would have followed him in real life without Facebook. Facebook is his idea of being social. How social is 10 people meeting to meet only to sit and stare at their 'smart' - phones and check if someone they dont really know, liked them... Almost amusing if it was not so darn sad.

And on top of that, Mark gets to rape all his users who will happily do whatever he SAYS !!

Slavery was harmless compared to Facebook. Wait n See !
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tigres Avatar
98 months ago
Never used FB, never will.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tycho24 Avatar
98 months ago


Well, you are missing out
Lol, condescending much??!!

The assumption that people that eschew Facebook don't know what it is or what it does, is the height of egotistical ignorance.

Please.
Yeah; believe it or not: we can actually grasp the concept. And we are not "missing out"; trust.
As a matter of fact.... I challenge you to d/l a timer app & for a day, press it every time you waste your life on that time vampire; then- come back here & post to me in minutes and seconds the quantified amount YOU are missing out on life... I will be looking into my daughter's beautiful eyes during that time, listening to her slowly starting to connect in her perfect little brain the sounds animals make with photos of them in her picture books.
Perhaps if a colleague of a former flatmate's cousin saw a video of something equally precious & posted it on FB, you will be able to semi experience that type of joy third-hand.
Enjoy the disconnect.
I absolutely LOVE technology; it is my lifeblood, career, & passion- but miss me with Facebook please. It is the antithesis of all which I hold dear.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
best buy snowflakes

Best Buy's New Weekend Sale Has Record Low Prices on MacBook Pro and MacBook Air

Friday December 8, 2023 7:37 am PST by
Best Buy's month-long holiday sale continues this weekend with multiple all-time low prices on Apple's line of MacBook Pro and MacBook Air computers. In addition to Apple notebooks, Best Buy's event has discounts sitewide on home appliances, TVs, video games, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive...
iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
beeper mini

Apple Puts a Stop to Beeper Mini's iMessage for Android Feature

Friday December 8, 2023 2:24 pm PST by
Apple appears to have closed the loophole that Beeper Mini used to bring iMessage to Android, putting a stop to blue bubbles from Android devices. Beeper Mini quit working earlier today, with users receiving "failed to lookup on server: lookup request timed out" error messages. Beeper said on Twitter that it is investigating the issue, but Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky told TechCrunch that "all ...
maxresdefault

Review: Two Months With the iPhone 15 Pro Max

Thursday December 7, 2023 12:04 pm PST by
Apple's iPhone 15 lineup came out in September, and while most reviews are done shortly after a new device launches, we like to follow up with a longer term review that gives us an opportunity to provide a deeper dive into what it's like using these phones on a day to day basis for months. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has been...
apple watch black friday

Apple Watch Ultra 2 Hits New Record Low Price of $699, Alongside Series 9 and SE Sales

Friday December 8, 2023 8:55 am PST by
Amazon has a few big discounts on Apple Watch today, headlined by a new all-time low price on the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Many of these watches can be delivered by Christmas, with delivery dates around the middle of next week for most models. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site ...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 May Reuse Existing iPhone 14 Battery

Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:17 pm PST by
Recently, MacRumors has received details on the battery currently being tested on the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, and the information corroborates previous findings in relation to the device. The iPhone SE 4, known by its device identifier D59, is expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14. Partially assembled prototypes of the next iPhone SE have been ...
iOS 17

35 Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 17.2 Coming This Week

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:57 am PST by
Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers in October. Since then we've seen three more betas, and with each iteration Apple continues to add more new features and changes, many of which users have been anticipating for quite a while. Below, we've listed 35 new things that are coming to your iPhone when the finalized version is publicly released in mid-December. 1....