Sync iPhone photo albums to iCloud web? I use the iCloud Photos web interface to move photos from my iPhone to my Mac all the time. This is as simple as logging into iCloud on the web, selecting a photo (or multiple photos) and clicking download. Works fine.

I have never created and synced an album before, but I see all of my pre-existing iPhone albums in the web interface (like the ones that installed apps will make… Instagram, Layout, Skitch, etc). So, I didn't think it would be a problem. 

I created an album of photos on my iPhone. I logged in to iCloud Photos in Safari on my Mac and expected to see that album there. It's not. Fine. Maybe it take a while to sync. I've given it about 6 hours and still nothing.

What's going on here? Is it a timing thing? Can I force the album to sync? 

I should also note that all of the photo from the album, exist in the web interface… it's the album itself that's missing.
I forced the album to appear by doing this:


Take a new photo on the iPhone
Add newly taken photo to album on iPhone
Reload the iCloud Photos web interface


The new photo and the album now appear. 

My theory is that when iCloud recognized the new photo (which happens fairly reliably… for me, anyway) it looked at its other attributes, noticed it's part of an album, noticed that the album doesn't exist on the web yet… and initiated a full sync.

What a total kludge of solution. Seems to work though.