Not literally, of course! I have an iMac, iPhone and iPad, all on the latest
versions of their respective OS’s. All are set to use iCloud Photos, and
photographs sync between the three devices perfectly happily. But all three
devices forget some (not all) of the named photos for every person in the
People album, and often different ones on each device (and it looks like the
Mac “forgets” more photos than the iPhone and iPad). I have gone so far as to
reset the People Album, which allegedly “clears all names, favourites and data
used to identify people for your People album from all the devices using your
iCloud Account”, but still the problem persists. If I turn off iCloud Photos
on the iMac then it doesn’t seem to forget people, so it does seem as though
this is an iCloud issue, and then of course I lose automatic syncing of my
photos.

I have added keywords for all the major people to each photo, so on my Mac I
have a Smart Album for each person, and of course that data persists, but
Smart Albums are not available on iOS or iPadOS, so that’s no great help to me
there.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get Photos to reliably sync
named people across all my iCloud devices? Any input gratefully received!

Thanks in advance,

Paul

--
Paul Mackenzie Smith, Bristol, UK
iMac 27" (Late 2012), 12.2.1 (via OCLP); iPad Pro 9.7"; iPhone SE2
To reply, take the pith out of blueyonder.

On 19/02/2022 18:37, Paul Mackenzie Smith wrote:
> Not literally, of course! I have an iMac, iPhone and iPad, all on the latest
> versions of their respective OS’s. All are set to use iCloud Photos, and
> photographs sync between the three devices perfectly happily. But all three
> devices forget some (not all) of the named photos for every person in the
> People album, and often different ones on each device (and it looks like the
> Mac “forgets” more photos than the iPhone and iPad). I have gone so far as to
> reset the People Album, which allegedly “clears all names, favourites and data
> used to identify people for your People album from all the devices using your
> iCloud Account”, but still the problem persists. If I turn off iCloud Photos
> on the iMac then it doesn’t seem to forget people, so it does seem as though
> this is an iCloud issue, and then of course I lose automatic syncing of my
> photos.
>
> I have added keywords for all the major people to each photo, so on my Mac I
> have a Smart Album for each person, and of course that data persists, but
> Smart Albums are not available on iOS or iPadOS, so that’s no great help to me
> there.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get Photos to reliably sync
> named people across all my iCloud devices? Any input gratefully received!

Not something I can really help with here, as I have a similar setup
that's working fine. I have an old iMac on Catalina, an iPhone 8 on
iOS15 and a 2020 iPad Pro on iPadOS15. All have been syncing perfectly.

I would suggest trying the Apple Discussion forums as well, there's a
couple of regulars there that are very knowledgeable on Photos (look out
for 'Old Toad' and 'Leonie' in particular).

Otherwise, I can only suggest trying a reset on each device one at a
time. Try turning off iCloud syncing on one device, then log out of
iCloud completely. Reboot the device, and then log back into iCloud, and
restart iCloud syncing. Wait until each device has fully re-synced
before starting the next one (The bottom of the Photos screen will show
'Last Updated...'.

Also scroll down to the bottom of the People screen, that will also
indicate whether all photos have been updated for faces or not.

How long have you been running the People process? It can take many
days, or even weeks, to complete if you have a lot of photos.

--
Andy H

On 20 Feb 2022 at 8:43:21 pm GMT, "Andy Hewitt" <thewildrover@icloud.com>
wrote:

> Not something I can really help with here, as I have a similar setup
> that's working fine.

Long-time inhabitants of ukcsm will remember zoara, and his ability to cause
spontaneous malfunctions of hardware merely by being nearby. I suspect Andy
has the inverse talent, causing Photos to behave impeccably in his presence.
There's no other explanation :)

--
TimH
pull tooth to reply by email

On 20 Feb 2022 at 20:43:21 GMT, "Andy Hewitt" <thewildrover@icloud.com> wrote:

> On 19/02/2022 18:37, Paul Mackenzie Smith wrote:
>> Not literally, of course! I have an iMac, iPhone and iPad, all on the latest
>> versions of their respective OS’s. All are set to use iCloud Photos, and
>> photographs sync between the three devices perfectly happily. But all three
>> devices forget some (not all) of the named photos for every person in the
>> People album, and often different ones on each device (and it looks like the
>> Mac “forgets” more photos than the iPhone and iPad). I have gone so far as to
>> reset the People Album, which allegedly “clears all names, favourites and data
>> used to identify people for your People album from all the devices using your
>> iCloud Account”, but still the problem persists. If I turn off iCloud Photos
>> on the iMac then it doesn’t seem to forget people, so it does seem as though
>> this is an iCloud issue, and then of course I lose automatic syncing of my
>> photos.
>>
>> I have added keywords for all the major people to each photo, so on my Mac I
>> have a Smart Album for each person, and of course that data persists, but
>> Smart Albums are not available on iOS or iPadOS, so that’s no great help to me
>> there.
>>
>> Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get Photos to reliably sync
>> named people across all my iCloud devices? Any input gratefully received!
>
> Not something I can really help with here, as I have a similar setup
> that's working fine. I have an old iMac on Catalina, an iPhone 8 on
> iOS15 and a 2020 iPad Pro on iPadOS15. All have been syncing perfectly.
>
> I would suggest trying the Apple Discussion forums as well, there's a
> couple of regulars there that are very knowledgeable on Photos (look out
> for 'Old Toad' and 'Leonie' in particular).
>
> Otherwise, I can only suggest trying a reset on each device one at a
> time. Try turning off iCloud syncing on one device, then log out of
> iCloud completely. Reboot the device, and then log back into iCloud, and
> restart iCloud syncing. Wait until each device has fully re-synced
> before starting the next one (The bottom of the Photos screen will show
> 'Last Updated...'.
>
> Also scroll down to the bottom of the People screen, that will also
> indicate whether all photos have been updated for faces or not.
>
> How long have you been running the People process? It can take many
> days, or even weeks, to complete if you have a lot of photos.

Thanks for your reply. I'm afraid it looks like I've misled you (and myself):
having turnedoff iCloud Photos on all devices, cleared their People databases
and rebooted them (the iMac in Safe mode), I started testing just on the iMac
by adding newvariants on the names of a few people (in case the Mac was
getting confused by previously-used names). After a while, the iMac "forgot" a
lot of the photos I had manually named, so it appears that the issue is not
iCloud-relatedafter all, but a problem on my iMac.

I had posted a query on Apple Discussions in the iCloud section, but I will
now revise that and repost it in the Photos section.

Failing that, I'm going to not worry about it, and create normal albums for
each person, which will actually have the added advantage of including photos
that feature a person without clearly showing their face (and therefore being
able to ascribe a name to them).

Thanks again for your help.

Paul

On 21 Feb 2022 at 13:31:37 GMT, "TimH" <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:

> On 20 Feb 2022 at 8:43:21 pm GMT, "Andy Hewitt" <thewildrover@icloud.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Not something I can really help with here, as I have a similar setup
>> that's working fine.
>
> Long-time inhabitants of ukcsm will remember zoara, and his ability to cause
> spontaneous malfunctions of hardware merely by being nearby. I suspect Andy
> has the inverse talent, causing Photos to behave impeccably in his presence.
> There's no other explanation :)

Oh my goodness, yes, I remember Zoara! I hope I haven't caught his affliction,
as I do from time to time help sort out other people's Macs!

Paul

--
Paul Mackenzie Smith, Bristol, UK
iMac 27" (Late 2012), 12.2.1 (via OCLP); iPad Pro 9.7"; iPhone SE2
To reply, take the pith out of blueyonder.

On 21 Feb 2022 at 13:31:37 GMT, "TimH" <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:

> On 20 Feb 2022 at 8:43:21 pm GMT, "Andy Hewitt" <thewildrover@icloud.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Not something I can really help with here, as I have a similar setup
>> that's working fine.
>
> Long-time inhabitants of ukcsm will remember zoara, and his ability to cause
> spontaneous malfunctions of hardware merely by being nearby. I suspect Andy
> has the inverse talent, causing Photos to behave impeccably in his presence.
> There's no other explanation :)

Perhaps Andy can be hired to visit users' homes and spontaneously sort out
their photos issues. Nice way of touring the country and think of all the
travel expenses that could be claimed ;)

--
Cheers, Alan

On 21/02/2022 13:43, Alan B wrote:
> On 21 Feb 2022 at 13:31:37 GMT, "TimH" <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On 20 Feb 2022 at 8:43:21 pm GMT, "Andy Hewitt" <thewildrover@icloud.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Not something I can really help with here, as I have a similar setup
>>> that's working fine.
>>
>> Long-time inhabitants of ukcsm will remember zoara, and his ability to cause
>> spontaneous malfunctions of hardware merely by being nearby. I suspect Andy
>> has the inverse talent, causing Photos to behave impeccably in his presence.
>> There's no other explanation :)
>
> Perhaps Andy can be hired to visit users' homes and spontaneously sort out
> their photos issues. Nice way of touring the country and think of all the
> travel expenses that could be claimed ;)

It hasn't always been this way though :-/. It's only recently that
Photos has been behaving itself here.

Now, I suspect, that's gone and done it!

--
Andy H

On 21/02/2022 13:31, TimH wrote:
> On 20 Feb 2022 at 8:43:21 pm GMT, "Andy Hewitt" <thewildrover@icloud.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Not something I can really help with here, as I have a similar setup
>> that's working fine.
>
> Long-time inhabitants of ukcsm will remember zoara, and his ability to cause
> spontaneous malfunctions of hardware merely by being nearby. I suspect Andy
> has the inverse talent, causing Photos to behave impeccably in his presence.
> There's no other explanation :)

Haha, yes.

--
Andy H

On 21/02/2022 13:37, Paul Mackenzie Smith wrote:
> On 20 Feb 2022 at 20:43:21 GMT, "Andy Hewitt" <thewildrover@icloud.com> wrote:

[..]

>> Also scroll down to the bottom of the People screen, that will also
>> indicate whether all photos have been updated for faces or not.
>>
>> How long have you been running the People process? It can take many
>> days, or even weeks, to complete if you have a lot of photos.
>
> Thanks for your reply. I'm afraid it looks like I've misled you (and myself):
> having turnedoff iCloud Photos on all devices, cleared their People databases
> and rebooted them (the iMac in Safe mode), I started testing just on the iMac
> by adding newvariants on the names of a few people (in case the Mac was
> getting confused by previously-used names). After a while, the iMac "forgot" a
> lot of the photos I had manually named, so it appears that the issue is not
> iCloud-relatedafter all, but a problem on my iMac.

OK, that makes more sense. What OS are you on?

> I had posted a query on Apple Discussions in the iCloud section, but I will
> now revise that and repost it in the Photos section.
>
> Failing that, I'm going to not worry about it, and create normal albums for
> each person, which will actually have the added advantage of including photos
> that feature a person without clearly showing their face (and therefore being
> able to ascribe a name to them).

Could be the solution. Of course it shouldn't be what you have to do,
but, IME there actually aren't many People/Faces tools that do really
work well anyway.

> Thanks again for your help.

We can but try eh? ;-)

--
Andy H

On 21 Feb 2022 at 15:54:05 GMT, "Andy Hewitt" <thewildrover@icloud.com> wrote:

> On 20 Feb 2022 at 20:43:21 GMT, "Andy Hewitt" <thewildrover@icloud.com> wrote:

> OK, that makes more sense. What OS are you on?

I'm on 12.2.1 on this trusty old Late 2012 iMac, thanks to the magic of
OpenCore Legacy Patcher, and I wonder in fact if that might be part of the
problem, but otherwise it's all good, and there are far worse things to worry
about at the moment!

Paul

(p.s. I'm active again on the group after a long period of silence, mainly due
to finding good alternatives to (a) MacSoup and (b) VIrginmedia's news hosting
service!)

--
Paul Mackenzie Smith, Bristol, UK
iMac 27" (Late 2012), 12.2.1 (via OCLP); iPad Pro 9.7"; iPhone SE2
To reply, take the pith out of blueyonder.

On 21/02/2022 17:36, Paul Mackenzie Smith wrote:
> On 21 Feb 2022 at 15:54:05 GMT, "Andy Hewitt" <thewildrover@icloud.com> wrote:
>
>> On 20 Feb 2022 at 20:43:21 GMT, "Andy Hewitt" <thewildrover@icloud.com> wrote:
>
>> OK, that makes more sense. What OS are you on?
>
> I'm on 12.2.1 on this trusty old Late 2012 iMac, thanks to the magic of
> OpenCore Legacy Patcher, and I wonder in fact if that might be part of the
> problem, but otherwise it's all good, and there are far worse things to worry
> about at the moment!

Aha, yes, possibly. I'm on an equally trusty Late 2013 iMac, on 10.15.7,
all seems well with this.

Of course patching an old machine to run an unsupported OS could well be
the cause of many issues.

I must admit I considered that myself, but decided against it, as I
valued overall stability over new features - most of which I can take
advantage of on my 2020 iPad Pro.

> Paul
>
> (p.s. I'm active again on the group after a long period of silence, mainly due
> to finding good alternatives to (a) MacSoup and (b) VIrginmedia's news hosting
> service!)

I use Thunderbird on the iMac, and NewsTap on the devices. Eternal
September is my service of choice, although the Plusnet one isn't bad
either.

I do miss MacSOUP though. NewsTap does at least have the graphical
thread display, which is nice.

--
Andy H

On 21 Feb 2022 at 14:31:37 CET, "TimH" <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:

> On 20 Feb 2022 at 8:43:21 pm GMT, "Andy Hewitt" <thewildrover@icloud.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Not something I can really help with here, as I have a similar setup
>> that's working fine.
>
> Long-time inhabitants of ukcsm will remember zoara, and his ability to cause
> spontaneous malfunctions of hardware merely by being nearby. I suspect Andy
> has the inverse talent, causing Photos to behave impeccably in his presence.
> There's no other explanation :)

Zoara, who was in fact also an Andy...

Daniele

On 23 Feb 2022 at 8:22:15 am GMT, "D.M. Procida"
<daniele-at-vurt-dot-org@invalid.com> wrote:

> On 21 Feb 2022 at 14:31:37 CET, "TimH" <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On 20 Feb 2022 at 8:43:21 pm GMT, "Andy Hewitt" <thewildrover@icloud.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Not something I can really help with here, as I have a similar setup
>>> that's working fine.
>>
>> Long-time inhabitants of ukcsm will remember zoara, and his ability to cause
>> spontaneous malfunctions of hardware merely by being nearby. I suspect Andy
>> has the inverse talent, causing Photos to behave impeccably in his presence.
>> There's no other explanation :)
>
> Zoara, who was in fact also an Andy...

They'll tell you it's coincidence, but we know there's no such thing.
--
TimH
pull tooth to reply by email

On 23/02/2022 08:22, D.M. Procida wrote:
> On 21 Feb 2022 at 14:31:37 CET, "TimH" <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On 20 Feb 2022 at 8:43:21 pm GMT, "Andy Hewitt" <thewildrover@icloud.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Not something I can really help with here, as I have a similar setup
>>> that's working fine.
>>
>> Long-time inhabitants of ukcsm will remember zoara, and his ability to cause
>> spontaneous malfunctions of hardware merely by being nearby. I suspect Andy
>> has the inverse talent, causing Photos to behave impeccably in his presence.
>> There's no other explanation :)
>
> Zoara, who was in fact also an Andy...

And probably still is?

But weren't his most mysterious malfunctions related to the long
unmentioned presence of a plasma globe decoration thing in the
hardware's vicinity?

--
Chris