To get your iPhone pictures on your iPad with iCloud, turn on iCloud Photos on both devices. On the iPad, open Settings, tap your name > iCloud > Photos, and turn on Sync this iPad. Do the same on your iPhone. Both devices must use the same Apple Account. If you sign out of your Apple Account on iPad, you can’t see your iCloud Photos there. Photos you take on either one then show up on both.
This guide covers iCloud Photos on iPhone and iPad. The steps follow Apple’s Back up and sync your photos and videos with iCloud and Set up iCloud Photos on all your devices guides. Apple lists iOS 8.3 and iPadOS 13.1 or later as the minimums.
How to Sync Photos Between iPhone and iPad With iCloud
- On your iPad, open Settings.
- Tap your name, then iCloud.
- Tap Photos, then turn on Sync this iPad.
- On your iPhone, go to Settings > your name > iCloud > Photos and turn on Sync this iPhone.
Result: Apple says all the photos and videos in the Photos app are added to iCloud, and photos already in iCloud Photos show up on the device. New photos upload automatically in their original format at full resolution. Open Photos and tap Library to see them. To jump to a particular month or day once they arrive, see how to view pictures by date on iPad.
What Syncs and What Doesn’t
Apple says changes you make to your photo collection on one device show up on your other devices too. That includes edits, and it means deleting a photo on one device deletes it from the others. If you only want to send a few photos without syncing your whole library, use AirDrop instead (see below).
If you need to clear pictures from only the iPad, see how to remove iPad photos while keeping them in iCloud and on other devices. Check saved copies and disconnect this iPad before local deletion; deleting while syncing remains enabled affects the shared library.
If an older guide told you to use My Photo Stream, use iCloud Photos instead. Apple’s current iPad guide covers iCloud Photos for keeping photos in sync.
How to Check That Photos Are Syncing
Open Photos, tap Collections, and look at the top-right corner. Apple lists these status signs:
- Partly filled blue circle around your account icon: photos are uploading.
- Yellow badge: iCloud syncing is paused.
- Yellow warning icon: your iCloud storage is almost full.
- Red exclamation mark: your iCloud storage is full.
- Partly filled gray outline: uploads are paused.
Tap your account icon for details. The last time the device synced appears below your account profile.
How to Make Photos Sync Right Away
- Open Photos and tap Collections.
- Tap your iCloud account profile at the top.
- Tap Sync Immediately, then For Today.
Result: Apple says iCloud Photos prioritizes new items, and the setting turns off on its own after one day. It may use more battery and cellular data, and it pauses in Low Power Mode or Low Data Mode.
If Your Photos Aren’t Syncing
- Connect both devices to power and Wi-Fi, then let them sync overnight. Apple says large libraries can take that long.
- Check that both devices are signed in to the same Apple Account.
- Look at the status message in Photos. Low Power Mode, Low Data Mode, a low battery (below 20 percent) or a full iCloud storage plan can pause syncing.
- Don’t turn iCloud Photos off and on. Apple says that restarts the syncing process.
Apple’s iCloud Photos syncing article explains each status message.
A Faster Way for Just a Few Photos
Use AirDrop. Make sure both devices have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on and are within about 30 feet (10 meters). Select the photos on your iPhone, tap the Share button, tap AirDrop, and pick your iPad. Apple says items you send between your own devices signed in to the same Apple Account are accepted automatically. See Apple’s AirDrop guide.
For a one-time copy instead of continuous syncing, see our guide to transferring photos from iPhone to iPad. It covers AirDrop receiving settings, original photo data and the separate computer import and sync steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will iCloud Photos fill up my iPad?
Not by default. Apple says Optimize iPad Storage is on by default, which keeps full-resolution originals in iCloud and smaller versions on the iPad. To keep originals on the iPad, go to Settings > your name > iCloud > Photos > iPad Storage and choose Download and Keep Originals.
Can I see my iPhone photos on a computer too?
Yes. Apple says you can view iCloud Photos at icloud.com/photos in a web browser, or turn on iCloud Photos on a Mac or in iCloud for Windows.
Related Guides
- How to turn AirDrop receiving on or off on iPad
- How to turn on iCloud Backup on iPad
- How to check storage on your iPad
If you’d rather keep a copy off iCloud, see how to transfer photos from iPad to a flash drive.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.