Short answer
AmberTime is local-first, but iCloud-only originals are not always stored on the iPhone. When you choose to include them, AmberTime asks iOS/PhotoKit for the original resource, Apple provides the download, and AmberTime writes the completed original to your external drive.
When this is useful
This matters if Optimize iPhone Storage is turned on. In that mode, the iPhone may keep smaller local versions while full-resolution originals remain in iCloud. A proper external archive needs the full-resolution resources, not only thumbnails or previews.
AmberTime can be used alongside iCloud Photos. iCloud can stay useful for everyday sync, while the SSD becomes a second copy of originals on storage you control.
What AmberTime does
- Lets you choose whether to include iCloud-only Photo Library items.
- Fetches full-resolution originals from Apple when needed.
- Writes the downloaded original locally to your selected drive.
- Records completed items so later runs remain incremental.
- Does not upload your files to AmberTime servers.
Things to know
Fetching iCloud-only originals requires network access because the original file is coming from Apple/iCloud. The final backup still goes to your USB drive or external SSD, and AmberTime does not provide AmberTime cloud storage.
Large libraries can take time because iCloud downloads, drive speed, cable quality, and available iPhone battery all matter. For big video files, use APFS or exFAT instead of FAT32 because FAT32 cannot store a single file larger than 4 GB.