I’ve noticed that photos are being backed up from my iPhone and iPad to my EX4 even when I just open them to view. Is there a way to only back up photos that are taken?
Hi!
That’s not an actual feature, is it? That would be a super annoying feature! No, that sounds more like a bug to me!
Check the settings for your camera app, and the settings for any installed WD apps. What might be happening is that one of them is monitoring a given folder, perhaps some temp folder, and the camera app or some other app or services is copying or moving the pictures from one folder to the monitored folder when you tap to view a photo, and when the app that monitors the given folder sees the new file, it picks it up and starts backing it up to your EX4 NAS.
I’m afraid you will have to do some trial and error to hone in on the cause of this problem. In worst case scenario, you’ll have to do a factory reset of the handset. Just make sure you have a fresh backup of your files before you do that.
I think I have it figured out. I use iCloud as well and when I click on a photo it is downloading from iCloud, therefore the app thinks it’s a new photo and it uploads to my EX4 NAS.
Thanks for reporting back!
I figured that much. This usually is some kind of sync or folder monitoring issue. In your case, it is a monitoring issue. Once WD app sees a new photo file it picks it up and starts backing up. Too much of the good thing, I guess. It’s usually better to have one or the other. Once you start adding up multiple apps and services that do the same thing, it becomes complicated very quickly, and you loose the overview and the sanity. It becomes a daytime job to keep track of things.
I forgot to ask you where your photos are located. But this totally makes sense to me now. The iCloud app downloads them from the iCloud server and the WD app starts uploading them to your EX4 NAS. See if it’s possible to stream the photos from iCloud or have them cached to some intermediate data format rather than have them downloaded as photo files each time you want to view them inside the photo app. If it’s not possible, see if you can change what folders your WD app is monitoring. Make sure you exclude the folder that the photo app uses to download the iCloud photos.
Errata: I wrote “camera app” above but meant photo app.
Turn OFF auto camera roll backup in the My Cloud app, and you stop this and you can manually back up what you want.
You mean there is no folder exclusion option in the WD app?
Don’t exactly follow what you mean, but to upload using My Cloud from camera roll manually, go to the folder you want to upload into and tap the 3-button menu, select photo from camera roll and tap upload icon.
Thanks. That works for me.
Yes, but this is the manual method? So it’s either automated backup without folder control, or folder control but no automated backup?
Let me explain what I mean by folder control. I will use Windows search path addressing.
Include: C:
Exclude: C:\Foo\Bar\Baz\
Any program monitoring C:\ for automated backup would backup all files in the root of C, excluding only the children of C:\Foo\Bar\Baz.
I don’t use My Cloud so I can’t tell if something like this is possible. Perhaps it could be a future feature addition? Anyway! I’m glad that OP figured out the issue. If manual backups work for OP, then I won’t protest. I can only point out that automation is one of the benefits of using a backup program. Having to remember to do it manually usually results in that it never gets done.
Sam,
You don’t even use My Cloud app and basically have no idea how it works, yet you have a comment to make “explaining” it to us? Get real.
I see by your profile you only joined this forum 7 HOURS ago and have already made plenty of posts. I have been a member since 2011, and the very first year I just READ posts and never posted a comment during that year! I just hung out and learned from posts. I am not saying you do same, but back off guy, relax, and get used to the forum and its members. Maybe you have a bit of a “know-it-all” personality, but try hard to stifle that part of your personality for a while, will you?
I don’t understand what your problem is Mike. I only explained what I meant by exclusion option, because you said you didn’t follow (didn’t understand what I meant). I was not explaining My Cloud. I don’t have to use My Cloud to understand that. That’s like saying that one has to have a driver’s license before one can start explaining the internal workings of combustion engine. The idea of excluding a folder is universal, it works across all known systems and platforms. I was merely asking if this is possible with this My Cloud app of yours, because if it is then that would definitely be a viable option for the OP.
The other comments were just my personal beliefs and opinions. Regarding the automated vs. manual backups. This is a discussion forum? Is it not? Or is it just a Q and A? You are welcome to disagree with me. But don’t shut me up just because you don’t agree with me or don’t understand what I said. That’s rude and uncivilized.
I’m sorry, where does it say in the terms and conditions that I have to wait for one entire year before I can post an answer or a comment (opinion)? You know, for someone who has been a member that long, you should know better than this. I have used forums before you know. I was even a member of the old WD forum once.
I definitely don’t know it all. Far from it! But I do like to share the things I do know with my peers and write long posts. That’s probably why you got that impression. Chances are that there are a lot of things we can learn from each other.
But I’ll try to “stifle” that part of my personality for a “while”… i.e. see you the next year!
No problem; I can now confirm your problem!
I expressly said I was not asking you to wait a year. So how are your reading comprehension skills?
No more comments from me; this is not going to escalate, I have your “number”.
Hey I have no problem either Mike! The one with the problem is the OP! 
I know what you said. But I also know what you implied. Why else would you even bring that up?
Nice meeting you Mike! 
Despite starting off on the wrong foot. I understand that we are different, but I still hope that we can work together toward a common goal.
I have your “profile”. 
See you around!
Yes, “see you around” here.
