Email photo as attachment, not embedded, in iOS 14

I just had a long conversation with Apple support and was able to show them the problem with screen sharing and many attempts to make it work.

If Apple wants to make us use their iCloud email, it will be a losing battle for Apple. Most companies use outlook for their corporate email and they have a lot of PO customers. I rather download the Outlook app, or change to a different cellphone brand if I have to, than start using iCloud email.

Fortunately there are a few workarounds like attaching a micro-video or a PDF.

I already wrote to that email address and got me nowhere. Talking to a live person, and then her manager, and she talking to the engineers, means at least 4 more people at apple are aware of the problem and how annoying it is to customers. So no, it is not bad advice. Call them!

They are «attachment[s]» regardless how they may «show up to others», snowmelt.

Unfortunately, there is a very tiny subset of email clients (consisting of a single email client and its derivatives) that “refuses” to perform bulk attachment operations (such as bulk-saves), if the internal structure of the received email is not “to its liking”.

No other email clients have any such issues. All others understand the more full International Internet Standards governing email creation and interchange.

The «signature with anything but plain text» was a solution in some of the pre iOS 14 versions of this issue, but, unfortunately, doesn’t seem to always be sufficient to form an email that that very tiny subset of email clients will fully “accept”, and treat properly.

(Incidentally, it appears that that very tiny subset of email clients hasn’t progressed for over a decade, now. Maybe longer.)

What’s with the subset stuff.

My Apple mail worked fine until IOS 14. Then all of a sudden it stopped attaching multiple photos and embedded them instead. The mail client never changed, nor did the Outlook in the computer where I sent the photos. Something went away with IOS 14. Final answer.

There might then be a more useful and substantial discussion at hand, for the very small subset of users who are taking the time to contribute here.

Contribute what?

Yes it is! No it isn't!! YES it is!!!, NO it isn't!!!

You do realize that nobody here is speaking for Apple?

The member you are venting at is not required to listen. Properly or otherwise. Not required to acknowledge anything in fact. You are not debating with Apple. You are debating with someone you disagree with. Fruitlessly.

In reality, this discussion is no longer useful or substantial. It is moot. Somewhat pointless.

Nobody here can change anything. Nobody here can resolve any concern being needlessly debated. Right and wrong mean nothing, since this is not the advocated forum for providing Apple Feedback.

That attachment behaviour changed with iOS 14 is well established. So too is that nobody here can undo this. In keeping with the intent of this community, workarounds have been offered.

Solutions have not. Undoing the change has not.

Feedback for Apple goes here >>> http://www.apple.com/feedback/

Nobody can stop contributions to the discussion if they follow the terms. Nobody can stop contributions that don't agree with your perspective on the issue.

Not the answer you may want to hear, but it is reality.

So why are you bothering to respond then?

Facts are Apple changed something in IOS14 that effects sending images to Outlook regardless of who’s fault it is and they are not worried about it. The only think on this forum that really winds people up is when we hear the quote “tiny subset of email clients” as that is an utter outright lie. I did a E Letter to just under 1 million clients yesterday, 2 hours later the statics told us that 89% of read emails were on outlook so I don’t feel that statistically Outlook falls into any “subset” where apple clients only accounted for 6% of the recipients. However to support Halliday and LACAllen I do support the fact that moaning on here is pointless and you are better sending individual feedback to Apple where you can be fobbed off one at a time as opposed to a group or community, it’s a bit of a divide and conquer thing

WAKE UP APPLE! FIX THIS OR MY AND PROBABLY THOUSANDS OF MACs AND IPHONES GO IN THE JUNK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are not screaming at Apple here. And your threat is meaningless to the volunteers that contribute here.

As has been shared numerous times, direct your concerns as below.

Feedback for Apple goes here >>> http://www.apple.com/feedback/.

cliu1185 wrote:

It's painful and I have not yet found a solution with Apple. This pushed me to try Google photos and do it there with my PC.

The (email) solution will only truly come by getting that very tiny subset of email clients (consisting of a single client [Outlook] and its derivatives) to correct their handling of International Internet Standards compliant attachments, such as photos/images.

An even better approach is to use tools that are better suited than email.

Chevyrider28:

Whether one uses your more indirect procedure or the more direct procedure from the Photos App, the result will be Attached image files.

However, it could be instructive to simply perform the definitive test found in my comment at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251807601, in order to see what actually differs in the way the email is structured.

Both structures will be completely standards compliant (which can be checked against the standards, themselves, using the link I provided within that comment). So, if any receiving email client has any problems with either structure, the problem can only be a failing in the standards compliance of the receiving email client.

with Fastmail, when writing a mail, you can directly attach a picture from your Photo Library and that's done!

On the other Side, with Apple Mail, it's not possible!! When writing a mail (from your iPhone), you do not have a button giving you the possibility to attach files or photos or whatever you want .... just a fact!

It sounds like you should check again!

Ok, I see it now! But that option is only visible when your cursor is in the body of the mail what makes it a bit confusing at first! But works perfectly with photos to be sent as an attachment. Only point is that it's a .png in my case, but I have probably the possibility to change that into .jpg or .jpeg. I must look in the settings ....

Thanks for the tip!

nanfromacworth wrote:

Did you ever get an answer? Apple, I'm incredibly frustrated as a designer who depends on quickly sending pics to clients; I desperately need them to be sent as attachments, NOT embedded.

First, Apple isn’t here, and doesn’t, typically, glean feedback from these fora. We are but fellow users, like yourself.

To provide Feedback to Apple, you can use their designated Feedback mechanisms, such as Product Feedback - Apple.

On the particular matter:

Since the emails Apple Mail produces are all standards compliant—you need not take my word for it, but you can perform the definitive test presented within my message at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251807601 (checking against the standards, that I linked to, there)—any email clients that don’t work well with such emails have questionable standards compliance.

TarHeelTech wrote:

I wish Apple developers would take the definitive test. Maybe this will be fixed in iOS 15.3

Actually, TarHeelTech, I, and others, have, indeed, performed the Definitive Test, which I have expressed, many times.

All who have tried the Definitive Test have, indeed, verified that Apple’s emails are completely standard’s compliant.

Unfortunately, there exists a very tiny subset of email clients (consisting [almost] exclusively of a single email client, and its derivatives, from a single [non-Apple] company)—which, incidentally, has seen no substantive upgrades in over a Decade!

jonikent wrote:

I have the same problem. I can’t submit photos for insurance claim because they won’t accept embedded photos.

There simply is no such thing as «embedded photos».

The closest thing are attached photos (everything, with the exception of the Subject line and some body text, are attachments, in emails) that are formatted inline with body text.

Unfortunately, there exists a very tiny subset of email clients (consisting [almost] exclusively of a single email client, and its derivatives, from a single [non-Apple] company)—which, incidentally, has seen no substantive upgrades in over a Decade—which prevents bulk attachment processing, under some standards compliant conditions, contrary to standards conformance expectations!

There can never be any fault associated with standards compliance!

However, old, non-up-to-date clients can, and often do, have issues with standards compliant emails due to the failings of such email clients! Such has been found to be the case with a very tiny subset of email clients (consisting [almost] exclusively of a single email client, and its derivatives, from a single [non-Apple] company)—which, incidentally, has seen no substantive upgrades in over a Decade!

Unfortunately, you appear to be held as a victim of someone (some company?) using such non-standards compliant software (from a certain [non-Apple] software company). I’m sorry for your plight.

hilyshaf wrote:

Exactly. Is there an Apple employee seeing this issue. I wish Steve Jobs was still alive. They are ruining Apple iPhone experience.

Y’all are free, and encouraged, to provide appropriate feedback to Apple, through their designated Feedback mechanisms: Product Feedback - Apple.

Since Apple is formulating entirely standards compliant emails, they cannot be held responsible for the non-standards compliance of a very tiny subset of email clients (consisting [almost] exclusively of a single email client, and its derivatives, from a single [non-Apple] company)—which, incidentally, has seen no substantive upgrades in over a Decade—which prevents bulk attachment processing, under some standards compliant conditions, contrary to standards conformance expectations!