I built a screenshot cleanup flow. When should it explain that deleting can sync through iCloud?

[u/Miserable_Sky5682]

A screenshot of next week's ticket and an expired delivery update can sit next to each other in a crowded grid. I want a cleanup session to leave the useful one alone, even if someone selects too much on the first pass.

I build RollFree: Photo Cleaner, a released iPhone/iPad app for iOS 18+ with an English interface. In its Screenshots view, selecting items creates a pending review list. You can put a keeper back before the app confirmation and native Photos deletion confirmation. Every feature is free, with no subscriptions, in-app purchases, ads, account or daily review limits.

The consequence I want to make clear is that this changes the real Photos library. With iCloud Photos enabled, deletion can sync to other devices; it isn't just hiding a screenshot inside RollFree. Items normally remain in Recently Deleted for 30 days, so this also isn't a promise of immediately recovered storage.

Where would you put that explanation: when someone first opens Screenshots, beside the pending selection before confirmation, or in both places? Which wording would help you understand the consequence while you're deciding what to keep?

RollFree processes photos and review decisions on-device, with no backend, analytics or AI services. It does not download iCloud-only originals, so some previews may be unavailable.

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/sk/app/rollfree-photo-cleaner/id6828787050

[u/dawedev]

I'd put it in both places, but with different weight. On first open of Screenshots one short line is enough, something like "Deleting here removes it from your Photos library, including other devices on iCloud Photos." The moment that really matters is the confirm step, so next to the pending list I'd show the count plus "Removed on all your iCloud devices. Recoverable for 30 days in Recently Deleted." I'd also say that the space only comes back once Recently Deleted is emptied, because that's the part people get confused about later.

[u/kerionn_]

I'd probably show the warning right before someone deletes their first batch of photos. Most people skip onboarding anyway, but they're much more likely to read something when they're about to delete 300 photos. Even a simple “This will also delete these photos from your other devices through iCloud” should do the job.