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Why aren't my Home Movies syncing across all my devices?

Several years ago I uploaded all of my home movies into my library. When I open the TV app on my phone, they are all there. But they do not show up on any of my other devices like my MacBook, iPad, Apple TV, or third-party devices with the Apple TV app. Any suggestions on how to make these videos sync across all of my devices?


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iPhone 15 Pro, iOS 17

Posted on Aug 7, 2024 3:48 PM

Reply
8 replies

Aug 7, 2024 4:30 PM in response to MwatersEMS

Uploaded where?

How?

From where?


Seems like all you did was sync your movies to your iPhone individually. Not have them in a location where all other devices can access them.


You may be able to get them on the other devices (excluding 3rd party devices) using Home Sharing. That is if they exist somewhere other than on your iPhone. Otherwise you will first need to extract them from the iPhone and then import them to the Apple TV app on the MacBook from where you can shared them.


click here ➜ Use Home Sharing to share media from a computer to other devices - Apple Support


Aug 8, 2024 7:46 AM in response to MwatersEMS

from Apple:


Import home videos to your library

You can import your own video files to watch in the Apple TV app.

  1. In the Apple TV app  on your Mac, choose File > Import.
  2. Locate a video file on your Mac, then click Open.
  3. Imported videos appear in the Home Videos category in the sidebar.

Watch home videos

  1. In the Apple TV app  on your Mac, click Home Videos in the sidebar.
  2. On the right, move the pointer over a thumbnail, then click the Play button that appears.



I am just trying to figure out why they’ve disappeared from all devices other than iPhone.

Aug 7, 2024 5:04 PM in response to Phil0124

I put a bunch of video clips together using iMovie to make “home movies”, then added them to the old Apple TV app into “my library” on my iMac. They have always shown up on all devices. When we want to watch one of the home movies, we just use the Apple TV app on our Samsung TV, or the actual Apple TV device. I went to look for one today and could not find the library at all so I thought all the videos were gone, but they are still on my iPhone inside the TV app.

Aug 7, 2024 5:24 PM in response to MwatersEMS

To add: I think home sharing requires you to be on the same wifi network as the computer with the video - and thats not how it was previously. I was able to access any of these videos on the TV app from any device anywhere that was signed in with my Apple ID and now they’re only on my iphone. Not even the computer they were originally added from.

Aug 8, 2024 7:09 AM in response to MwatersEMS

MwatersEMS wrote:
I put a bunch of video clips together using iMovie to make “home movies”, then added them to the old Apple TV app into “my library” on my iMac. They have always shown up on all devices. When we want to watch one of the home movies, we just use the Apple TV app on our Samsung TV, or the actual Apple TV device. I went to look for one today and could not find the library at all so I thought all the videos were gone, but they are still on my iPhone inside the TV app.

That seems to imply you merely synced the videos to your iPhone as such they would not appea ron other devices unless they had been synced, and would definitely not appear on an Apple TV or on the Apple TV app on 3rd party devices.

To add: I think home sharing requires you to be on the same wifi network as the computer with the video

Correct. That's the way Home Sharing has always worked.


- and thats not how it was previously. I was able to access any of these videos on the TV app from any device anywhere that was signed in with my Apple ID and now they’re only on my iphone. Not even the computer they were originally added from.

Odd, as personal videos and movies cannot be accessed like that.


Movies and Tv shows you buy from the iTunes Store would be available on all your devices logged in to your Apple ID, in the TV App library, but personal videos you pt together do not get shared that way.


The only way to share them is over Home Sharing, and yes, that only works when the computer that holds them and the device that wants to access them are on the same network.


It has never worked in any other way. Personal videos require either syncing or Home Sharing.


The only other possibility is if you added said videos to the Photos app on a Mac iCloud Photos, then thy would be available on other devices in the Photos app if iCloud Photos is turned on. This of course precludes 3rd party devices, like a Samsung TV though as there is no Photos app for those.



Aug 8, 2024 7:40 AM in response to Phil0124

It definitely is a possibility, and a feature. My own personal movies that I created are currently in my TV app on my iPhone. Not in the Photos app or any other app, they’re in the TV app.


Previous to this issue, I could find these videos on an Apple TV device, my iPad, iMac, MacBook Pro, or the Apple TV app on my Samsung TV. I would go into the app, click library, click Matthews library, and there were about 12 home movies that I created. I never synced them directly to my iPhone, I used my iMac for this. They have disappeared from every device except for my iPhone. I am not home now, not connected to any Wi-Fi network, and I still see the movies in my TV app so it is not being shared to my iPhone via home sharing. I have used this feature for years, and they have always appeared on every device signed in to my iCloud, always located in the TV app. If there was a way for me to send screenshots or upload them into this thread I would

Aug 8, 2024 8:18 AM in response to MwatersEMS

If you clicked on a secondary person's Library (even if it was your own name) inside the TV App, then that means Home Sharing was active and you were on the same Wi-Fi network as the computer sharing the library.


That is precisely how Home Sharing works. Your own local library on the device is directly accessible and has no name. Libraries with names are ones that are being Home Shared from other computers.


This would work on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, but not on 3rd party devices like a Samsung TV.


Seems like you are confusing then where you saw them and what you were using. But yes it definitely sounds like you were using Home Sharing, and you were seeing these movies while you are connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the computer doing the sharing.


Aug 8, 2024 8:35 AM in response to Phil0124

Thanks for all of your input and replies, but I think we’re talking about two separate things. I have not confused what I was doing, and it is definitely not home sharing. After your last reply I double checked everything and home sharing is turned off and to my knowledge I’ve never had it turned on. I am and have always been able to access all of these videos regardless of my location or Wi-Fi network connection. I have also always been able to access them from any non-apple third-party devices signed into the Apple TV app. I am still currently able to access them from my iPhone while not connected to Wi-Fi, Nowhere near my house and the videos are pulling up perfectly fine inside the TV app. I don’t believe this is a home sharing issue at all. But thank you so much for your replies

Why aren't my Home Movies syncing across all my devices?

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