iCloud Photos and Passwords sync issue on second and third devices

I have two iPhones (a personal iPhone 14 Pro and a work iPhone 14) as well as an iPad Pro 11-inch 3-Gen, all three of which are signed in with my AppleID account. For the past two or three years, the iCloud sync between the three devices have been seamless, ie. things like pictures and stored passwords are accessible across all devices.

About two months ago, I noticed that stopped, particularly those two items but also my credit cards on my Apple Pay got removed from my work phone and iPad. iMessage and FaceTime still work across the devices though.

In taking a look at the iCloud settings (Settings-> my name-> iCloud), I noticed within the "Saved to iCloud" section, I realized that the iCloud Photos options is quite simply not there anymore. The Passwords option is there but the sync is off and greyed out, preventing me from turning the sync back on. During all this, the iCloud sync on my personal phone is still working fine.

I've tried a number of things including updating the iOS on my iPad from 18.something to 26.1. I also tried setting up a recovery key, as well as simply signing out of my AppleID account on my two iPhones altogether, restarting them, and signing back in, but the behavior is the same on both.

Has anyone come across anything like this? Any guidance on this would be greatly appreciated!

iPhone 14 Pro, iOS 18

Posted on Nov 18, 2025 9:07 PM

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2 replies

Nov 18, 2025 9:35 PM in response to Chain4

"[...]I noticed that stopped, particularly those two items but also my credit cards on my Apple Pay got removed from my work phone and iPad. iMessage and FaceTime still work across the devices though. In taking a look at the iCloud settings (Settings-> my name-> iCloud), I noticed within the "Saved to iCloud" section, I realized that the iCloud Photos options is quite simply not there anymore. The Passwords option is there but the sync is off and greyed out, preventing me from turning the sync back on. During all this, the iCloud sync on my personal phone is still working fine.[...]"

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Do you have a Method of Payment?

With all uploading, I assume you do. You need at least one Method of Payment assigned to your account. This is because even free apps have their option for internal purchases. So, add the new method of payment, and then remove the one that is currently in there. So, see if you need to add a Payment Method to your Apple ID - Apple Support

  1. Go to: Settings
  2. Tap: your name (top item)
  3. Tap: Payment & Shipping
  4. Enter: with your credentials
  5. Tap: Sign in
  6. Proceed from there as necessary

If Declined: If your Payment Method is Declined in the App Store or iTunes Store - Apple Support

iCloud Photos and Passwords sync issue on second and third devices

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