Email photo as attachment, not embedded, in iOS 14

@All:

Here is the definitive test of the question of «attachment» vs. «embedded» in emails from Apple’s Mail App:

1. Creat an email, in Apple’s Mail app, that you believe shows «embedded» files/images/photos/pictures/whatever.
2. Send that email to an account where you can open that email in an email client that allows you to View the Raw Source of that email.
3. Copy that Raw Source, and paste it into the More Text portion of a comment, here.

Of course, you should eliminate any personal information in that Raw Source, before sending it to us.

By the way, in order to keep the Raw Source from being too terribly long, it will help to use smaller image files. Maybe just 10x10 pixels, perhaps. However, that is only a suggestion to help in deciphering the Raw Source.

Apple’s Mail app on Mac has the ability to View the Raw Source. (It doesn’t include any of the transport Headers, such as From, To, and many other transport fields. So, unless you have personal information in your files/images/photos/pictures/whatever, or the text within your email, there shouldn’t be any personal information to be eliminated.)

Back when I was in the Corporate and Governmental sectors, the Pro version of Outlook we used had a very similar capability. Please let us know if that is still available in your version.

Along with the Raw Source, please let us know if you have found any «embedded» versions of your files/images/photos/pictures/whatever, within the Raw Source, and, if so, where you found it.

You should, instead, find only cases of your files/images/photos/pictures/whatever as «attachments», as per the Official Internet Protocol Standards.

If you have trouble making “heads or tails” of the Raw Source (which is nothing but text, with even your files/images/photos/pictures/whatever given in a textual form, though it will read as “gibberish”), we, your fellow users, here, can help y’all understand what is there.

One could perform multiple variations on this test, such as performing the various “workarounds” people have posted, within this Discussion, to see how that changes the Raw Source of the received email.

This will give us all far better information on what is actually going on.

I do hope this suggestion will help get past the purely superficial appearances, and the “he said, she said” arguments, by getting down to what the actual emails contain.

Well, CJCragg, a far better way to judge correctly is to use the test found in my comment at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251807601?answerId=254806789022#254806789022.

In fact, now that we have such a definitive test, I don’t believe we should make claims without backing them up with that test.

Once again, CJCragg, «embedded» vs. «attachments» warrants the definitive test, found at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251807601?answerId=254806789022#254806789022, to see what is actually going on.

Otherwise, one is simply using labels that, at best, only apply to superficialities (appearances).

Is there some reason you are avoiding that definitive test?

If I were you, I would show screenshots of what the appearances were, accompanied by the definitive test, so we can all compare and contrast, and have a better understanding of what is actually going on.

madisonNYC wrote:

Apple made a change in IOS 14 to stop people from being able to send pics as attachments when you use Apple's mail. Period. An Apple senior manager confirmed this to me. …

Do you have a reference for that claim?

I know I would be very interested in that.

… It has nothing to do with Microsoft, so don't muddy the waters. In fact, if you open a browser and sign into your hotmail account there, the pics will send as attachments. But if you use the Apple mail system to access your hotmail account, the pics will be sent embedded. THIS is what people are angry and frustrated about. And THIS is why people need to bombard Apple with complaints, demanding it reverse this terrible decision.

Y’all are encouraged to provide Apple with your Feedback.

Fortunately, using the definitive test, found at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251807601?answerId=254806789022#254806789022, to see what is actually going on; y’all can have the knowledge to provide Apple with the very best Feedback.

It’s all up to y’all.

dawnfaye wrote:

Now I understand why we always receive images embedded in emails at my work. We deal with the public and I just assumed they were all technologically unsavvy. Not being able to attach an image to an email is ridiculous. If this doesn't change I'm going to go back to android.

However, as you can easily check, using the definitive test, found at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251807601?answerId=254806789022#254806789022, to see what is actually going on; y’all can verify that the «images» are always «attach[ed]».

So, if there is any problem with any email client properly dealing with the attachments, the issue is not with the email, but with the particular email client.

madisonNYC wrote:

Apple decided to make this change in IOS 14 that stops people from being able to send photos as attachments. …

…

However, as you can easily check, using the definitive test, found at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251807601?answerId=254806789022#254806789022, to see what is actually going on; y’all can verify that the «photos» are always «attachments».

Mystified-OZ wrote:

So why doesn’t it simply work like before iOS 14?

it’s a pia now guesswork how to save group photos and those you send them to can’t save them

However, as you can easily check, using the definitive test, found at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251807601?answerId=254806789022#254806789022, to see what is actually going on; y’all can verify that the «photos» are always attachments.

So, if there is any problem with any email client properly dealing with the attachments, the issue is not with the email, but with the particular email client.

Unfortunately, ahungryhungarian, you have only shown appearances (how it appears in a couple of browsers), not the definitive test, found at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251807601?answerId=254806789022#254806789022, to see what is actually going on.

While the International Internet Standards dictate standards compliant internal email structure (what one can see in the Raw Source), those standards do not dictate how any email should look, for any given email client.

(Additionally, as may be seen within the Raw Source of the email, email can have Alternate versions, all embodied within the Raw Source of the email. This was particularly important back in the early days of rich-text emails: so email clients that didn’t understand rich-text could display the plain-text version of the email.)

Welcome, iancbs, to Apple Support Communities!

iancbs wrote:

Why, why why! It has just taken me a good 5 minutes to email 5 images from my phone and save in the right place. THis would have been 30 seconds before the images can on ly be sent embedded in the mail. PLEASE allow either a choice, or go back to attachments, so when I am back at my PC I can save where I want!

However, as you can easily check, using the definitive test, found at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251807601?answerId=254806789022#254806789022, to see what is actually going on; y’all can verify that the «images» are always «attachments».

As one can see, using that definitive test, there are no «embedded» «images».

So, if there is any problem with any email client properly dealing with the attachments (such as bulk-saves), the issue is not with the email, but with the particular email client.

This is also an issue for me.

Makes extra work now plus it makes it harder for the recipient to work with the files.

Apple - please do not take away functionality like this.

Here is a link to provide feedback to Apple.

https://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

Yes, kurtisfromsydney, all affected users can, and probably should, send Feedback to Apple.

The more the feedback reflects what is actually going on, the more affective the feedback will be.

That’s why I have been advocating the use of the definitive test, found at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251807601?answerId=254806789022#254806789022, to see what is actually going on.

(By the way, only the email client you must be using, at the receiving end, is «Mak[ing] extra work now [particularly] … mak[ing] it harder for the recipient [using such an email client] to work with the files.» No other email clients have such an issue.

I do realize how difficult this can be to recognize, without doing the research those of us, here on Apple Support Communities, have done to troubleshoot this issue. It even took us a month or two to troubleshoot this issue.)

ahungryhungarian wrote:

Let’s take a step back.

You do see that there has been a change in how attached items look in Apple mail correct? Both when sending and receiving emails in Apple mail.

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/f2a9a98e-d11f-4c60-9c4b-d29514a10aaf

This is what these same emails look like when being opened in the Gmail App. This format is how the emails used to look (when sending and receiving) in Apple mail.

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/da0d1524-46a3-438a-a393-fbaf7a815444

The above shows how attached pictures currently look when both sending and receiving emails in the Apple mail iOS app. The issue lies only with how Apple Mail is interpreting the data. They are still “attachments” yes, but visually they are different, and having to scroll past a full picture to long press the next one to download is annoying, especially if there are more than a few.

Everybody should be voicing their opinions to Apple through the proper feedback channels, there is no real fix sadly. This is real though, and to claim it’s not Apple that made the change is just not correct.

Wow, kudos to you for writing all that and trying to explain the issue. If you had been following the last 48 pages of this thread though, you'd see the same response has been given to him dozens of times in the same vein by others who thought he simply didn't understand what we were complaining about, and yet made ZERO difference in his subsequent replies.

It reminds me of the customer service people sometimes you get who don't bother taking the time to properly understand the issue, and simply copy and paste chunks of text out of their training manual over and over and over again…

The challenges I have faced here remind me of the word "tone deaf", which is defined by the dictionary as "having or showing an obtuse insensitivity or lack of perception particularly in matters of public sentiment, opinion, or taste".

Good luck.

CJCragg wrote:

How come people don’t get that we want to take a photo or photos, select them and send them, and have them arrive as savable attachments. Just like we used to do before IOS 14. That’s it, that’s all.

How come people don't get that nobody here can do anything about this situation? We are not Apple.

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

That's it. That's all.

Thanks I appreciate it. I’ve been following this thread for months now, the only reason I even post anymore is bc it’s extremely frustrating to see people’s comments being dismissed like they aren’t actually experiencing an issue.

I don't believe your concerns are being dismissed. Disputed maybe.

it’s looking like anyone’s attempts are pointless

If your "point"is to change his mind, let it go. Why does anyone have to win?

As has been repeated, Apple does not participate here in the way most want them to.

They don't answer questions and they don't share what, if anything may be done about issues raised here.

Never have and likely never will.

Feedback for Apple goes here >>> http://www.apple.com/feedback/ is the advocated way to tell Apple how you feel.

If you have used the link, you've done all you can.

Arguing your point of view is futile.

Welcome, jocelyne195, to Apple Support Communities!

See, for example, https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251807601?answerId=254902510022#254902510022.

Additionally, please see Add attachments to an email on iPhone - Apple Support.

I understand if you feel like these don’t help you. I wish there was a simple answer, other than needing a certain company (actually not Apple) to correct their email client software.

In order to test what is actually going on, see the definitive test at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251807601?answerId=254806789022#254806789022.

However, there are a few (likely temporary and fragile) workarounds that some have found to help the errant email client “do the right thing”™️.