Synology iCloud Photo Sync — spksrc package

A native Synology DSM 7.2 package that automatically mirrors your iCloud photo library to your NAS — so your memories live on storage you own, not just on Apple's servers. Runs as a proper DSM app with its own tile, settings UI, scheduler daemon, and DSM notifications. No Docker, no cron hacks, no SSH fiddling.

Built with the SynoCommunity/spksrc cross-compilation framework.

Features

• iCloud Photostream & Albums — incremental sync with deduplication via hardlinks
• Multi-account — several Apple IDs side by side, each with its own settings
• Parallel downloads — 1/2/4/8 configurable per account
• Folder structure — year / year-month / year-month-day / flat
• HEIC / JPG conversion — keep originals, convert, or both
• Apple 2FA via trusted-device push or SMS fallback
• Native DSM UI — built with SYNO.ux components
• Multi-language — English and German
• Unprivileged — runs as sc-icloudphotosync, not root

Building

Prerequisites

1. Clone the spksrc repository
2. Set up the build environment (Docker recommended):

   git clone https://github.com/SynoCommunity/spksrc.git
   cd spksrc
   docker build -t spksrc .

Adding this package

Copy or symlink the package directory into your spksrc checkout:

# From the spksrc root
cp -r /path/to/iCloudPhotoSync-spksrc/spk/icloudphotosync spk/

Build

# Build for a specific architecture
cd spk/icloudphotosync
make arch-x64-7.2

# Or build for all supported architectures
make all-supported

The resulting .spk files land in packages/.

Package structure (spksrc layout)

spk/icloudphotosync/
  Makefile                 spksrc package definition
  PLIST                    File list for SPK contents
  src/
    service-setup.sh       DSM lifecycle hooks (start/stop/install/upgrade)
    PACKAGE_ICON.PNG       Package icons
    PACKAGE_ICON_256.PNG
    requirements-pure.txt  Python wheel dependencies
    bin/
      scheduler.py         Long-running daemon, triggers syncs per interval
      sync_runner.py       Single-sync entry point (UI sync-now button)
      move_runner.py       Target-folder migration helper
      heif/                Bundled HEIC conversion binaries (per architecture)
    lib/
      sync_engine.py       Core sync loop: list -> dedupe -> download -> verify
      icloud_client.py     iCloud API wrapper (pyicloud_ipd)
      config_manager.py    Global + per-account config with atomic file locking
      heic_converter.py    HEIC -> JPG conversion with multi-backend fallback
      handlers/            CGI request handlers
      vendor/              Bundled Python deps (pyicloud_ipd, srp, six)
    app/                   DSM SPA — Ext.js + SYNO.ux components
    conf/
      privilege            run-as: package
      resource             data-share for /volume1/iCloudPhotos

Requirements

• Synology DSM 7.2 or newer
• Python 3.8+ (provided by spksrc cross/python311 dependency)
• An Apple ID with 2FA enabled
• iCloud Advanced Data Protection (ADP) must be disabled for iCloud Photos

Known limitations

iCloud Advanced Data Protection (ADP)

If you have ADP enabled, this app cannot access your iCloud Photos. ADP encrypts photos end-to-end so only trusted Apple devices hold decryption keys.

Workarounds:

1. Disable ADP: Settings -> Apple ID -> iCloud -> Advanced Data Protection -> Turn Off
2. Enable temporary web access at icloud.com (grants ~1 hour API access)

Privacy & security

• Apple password is held in memory only during the 2FA handshake, then discarded
• Session cookies stored under /var/packages/icloudphotosync/var/accounts/{id}/session/
• No telemetry, no analytics, no phone-home

License

MIT. Vendored third-party code keeps its original license:

• pyicloud_ipd — MIT
• srp — BSD

Disclaimer

Not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple Inc. "Apple", "iCloud", and related marks are trademarks of Apple Inc.