Jamie Condliffe - 

Having rolled out an auto-upload function for some Android users in September, Facebook is now testing the same photo syncing system for iOS users too.

The tool is only in testing — so as a result it’s only available to a limited pool of users at the moment — but the basic premise is simple. Much like Google’s instant photo-upload feature, Facebook can suck every picture you take up and off to the cloud, where it ensures your pictures remain private, placing them in a “Synced from Phone” tab inside your Photos page.

To check if you have the option open to you, head to the Photos sectiom in your iOS Facebook app’s sidebar navigation. Scroll to the bottom: if you find a Photo Sync option, check it, and the system starts running straight away.

No doubt some users will worry about privacy, but if you’re happy using the service through Google, this is hardly any different. Plus, your photos land up on Facebook, which is more useful than them arriving on Google+.

It’s currently not clear if the photo syncing tool will be rolled out to all users, but the fact it’s being tested in Android and iOS suggests it’s likely. [Facebook via TechCrunch]