One of the best ways to use a Synology NAS is to store photos. If you have an iPhone, a Synology NAS and have been searching how to backup iPhone photos automatically, read below for this very easy solution.
Updated 1/3/21 – As of this update, this new shortcut setup works on iOS 14.2 on an iPhone XR. However, please keep in mind that due to the frequency and type of updates that iOS gets, this functionality may change or break in the future. Also, this setup works great with a wireless charger – I highly recommend one if you have a newer iPhone!
The Synology Moments package is an application that runs on your Synology NAS and allows you to organize and share your photos while keeping them safely stored. You can access Moments through a web browser while connected to your home network or directly through the web over HTTPS if you set up your Synology NAS with an SSL certificate for secure remote access.
Synology has also created a Moments mobile app for iOS so you can manage your photo collection from your Apple device. However, it appears that even though Synology included an auto-backup feature in their app, it doesn’t seem to run unless you open the Moments app yourself. This means you have to remember to open it periodically while on WiFi for your photos to start backing up, which can be a pain.
Now with the introduction of the Shortcuts app in iOS 13, you can create a very simple automation to open the app for you, thus starting the backup and having it truly be automatic.
How To Backup iPhone Photos Automatically – UPDATED January 2021
The guide below assumes you’ve already installed the Moments app on your Apple device and connected it to your NAS also running Moments. You’ll also need to turn on the Photo Backup option within the app.
Find your Shortcuts App and open it. Select the Automation button, tap the plus sign at the top right, and then tap Create Personal Automation.
Next, at the bottom of the list, choose “Charger” and then “Is Connected” on the next page, then tap Next.
Tap “Add Action” and then select Scripting.
Select Open App, then choose Moments from the list.
Tap Next, then turn off the button “Ask Before Running”. This way the app will open without any input from you.
Tap Done to complete the setup. Now when you connect your phone to your charger, it will launch Moments and your photos will start backing up.
The only two things to keep in mind are that you’ll need to unlock your phone before placing it on your charging pad or plugging it in and that the app will remain open until you close it. This is not really an issue though, since the phone will be charging anyway.
Also, your screen will eventually time out based on your lock screen preferences, but I have found you can also manually lock the screen while the app is open and it will continue to back up your photos.
If you found this guide useful, please leave a comment and thanks for reading! Also, if you’d like to help support the blog, consider picking up a new quality Anker or Spigen accessory for your iPhone:
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Hi Chris!! Super happy to have crossed paths with your content. Very informative and on point. I would be greatfull if you can give me your insight on the following issue. I have a 2 TB Photos library( the Apple native app) Which is currently saved in an external hard Drive. The backup to another disk is dealt with manually. Im looking to invest in a self hosted environment or a DAS. According to various sources the Photos library cannot be read while on the network and over wifi. Presumably the source must be wired to my Mac… is this… Read more »
Thanks for commenting Emilio! Unfortunately, I am not super familiar with how the Apple Photos library must be configured on a Mac. I pretty much started with Moments from Android and then switched to an iPhone. However, I am curious why the Photos library would not be able to be stored on a NAS, as long as the NAS shared folder is mapped or mounted to the Mac as a “drive”. Sort of like how you can mount a shared folder on windows. For example, instead of accessing a shared folder called “pics” via the network path… Read more »
Appreciate the swift reply Chris!! Thank you 🙂
Hello, I followed your tutorial, but Moments application will not open automatically 🙁
I have a notification from Shortcuts on my lock screen when I join selected wifi, but I must tap on it and hit run. If i don’t do it, the application will not start. Something I am doing wrong, or it is just the way it is suppose to work… Thanks.
Hi Martin, thanks for your reply. I believe something has changed in iOS and/or the Moments app. This has happened to me as well, although, on occasion, the app still opens, it’s just open in the background. This is most likely an issue with updates or changes to iOS.
I just updated my guide, you can now auto-launch Moments when the iPhone gets connected to power. Hope this helps!
Thanks for posting this guide, great automation work-around and the key reason I abandoned Moments in the past and just stuck to Drive.
Thanks for the comment!
Great guide, but… the Moments app is not shown in the list of apps available in the automation. Any idea why this is and how I can add Moments to the list?
Thanks for the comment. Be sure you are selecting “Scripting” as the first action, then you can find the Moments app inside of the scripting function “open app”. Moments is not listed in the default App list when you first build the automation, you have to use scripting to call the app. Hope that helps.
Thx, that fixed the problem
Hi Mate
Just used your instructions. Perfect, Thankyou.
I like your style mate. good onya!
Thanks!
Hi, can Moments and the companion app be set up in a way that it works like a sync (only keep the same photos on NAS as on the phone) rather than a backup? So when I delete a photo on my phone it will also be removed on the NAS upon next contact?
Thanks!
Thanks for the comment! If you are talking about deleting photos inside the Moments app on the device, then yes what you describe is possible. However, it requires that your NAS is accessible via the internet, either over HTTPS or via a VPN to your home network on the phone. However, deleting photos from the device itself is separate from the Moments app. The Moments app is just a photo library on the NAS and with the app on your phone, you can view the library on the device, and also automatically back up photos from the device to your… Read more »
Thanks Chris! I was talking about always just using the normal Apple/IOS Photos app and never even opening and using the Synology app (except for initial configuration). And then having the Synology app sync my photos to the NAS. Just sync whatever it finds in the IOS app. And when I delete something from the IOS app (just a stupid screenshot, a photo from last week that I chose not to keep) the Synology app should recognize that and consequently also delete the same photo from the NAS. Like an “rsync” (if you know what that is) of the photos… Read more »
I don’t think you would find a third-party application that would do what you’re describing in the iOS environment. Moments does pull your iOS photos and does do a sync / backup in one direction from the device to the NAS, it’s just not two-way. Also keep in mind, it’s not managing the photos in the iOS gallery, merely copying them to it’s own environment on the Moments app and NAS. If you don’t use or open the Moments app, it can’t sync / backup photos. I don’t know of a service other than iCloud that will be able to… Read more »
Nono, not two-way. Just phone –> NAS.
But:
phone-new-foto –> copy-to-NAS
__and__
phone-delete-photo –> delete-on-NAS.
Only keep on the NAS what I have on my phone which includes to delete from the NAS what I delete on my phone. Keep them in sync but only one way.
I am not ready yet for DSM 7 for other reasons, but maybe I’ll look what Synolgy Photos can do for me.
Yes, I understand what you are saying. Regardless of two-way vs one-way, let me explain the difference and the issues for you and clarify the terminology. You want something that will sync photos on the device. By design, Moments does not sync, but rather makes a backup copy from your phone gallery (I used the word sync interchangeably in a previous reply, but it’s really a backup, I digress). What you describe wanting is already a function of Moments BUT only within Moments itself because it’s managing what’s on the NAS. This is the fundamental difference between what you are… Read more »