Email photo as attachment, not embedded, in iOS 14

JoshuaVl wrote:

Lawrence, are you sure this is an issue with Microsoft?

One of my users only had this issue after upgrading from an iPhone 6 to an iPhone SE.

With the 6 he could send photos as attachments with the Mail app no problems...

JoshuaVl:

It has been freely acknowledged that Apple made an International Internet Standards compliant change in the way attachments are encoded within emails sent by Apple Mail, from iOS 13 to 14, that Microsoft’s Outlook (and its derived email clients) do not properly handle. (Earlier changes occurred in earlier versions of iOS with similar affects only shown by Outlook and its derivatives.)

In fact, a few of the workarounds actually illustrate how utterly fragile Outlook’s (and derivatives’) handling of International Internet Standards compliant emails truly is.

You, truly, need not take my, or anyone’s, word for this.

You can check for yourself by performing the definitive test found in my comment at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251807601?answerId=254806789022#254806789022.

(The amazing thing, to me, is that I haven’t, yet, seen any evidence that anyone has taken upon themselves the challenge of that definitive test.)

dnorton002 wrote:

Apple, please fix this. …

If you are trying to address Apple, here, then you should use their designated Feedback Mechanisms: Product Feedback - Apple.

However, since Apple Mail is never sending images/pictures/etc. «embedded», but always sending such as «attachments»—and the fact that there is only a very tiny subset of email clients (consisting of a single email client and its derivatives) that have any problem allowing users to perform bulk attachment operations (such as bulk-saves) upon received emails, even from Apple Mail—there is little, if anything, that Apple can do about this situation since Microsoft owns and develops the errant email clients.

The best path to a true fix is to provide Feedback to Microsoft. (After all, those errant email clients appear to have not been updated [in their underlying functionality] since sometime before 2010.)

… It is very annoying to force all picture attatchments to be embedded in an email rather than attached. Often the reason people email pictures to others or themselves is to quickly get the file for another purpose, not just to view it. For example, I have a requirement from work to attach pictures of my receipts when filing expense reports. I take a photo, then I email it to my work laptop. Then I drag and drop the image into my expense report. With embedded pictures, I have to save each file one at a time to a folder first. …

Such handling requirements are imposed only by the «very tiny subset of email clients (consisting of a single email client and its derivatives) that have any problem allowing users to perform bulk attachment operations (such as bulk-saves) upon received emails, even from Apple Mail».

… It's slow and annoying. …

We, here, all fully acknowledge how frustrating these issues are, with that «very tiny subset of email clients».

… Please get the option in our settings to choose if we want to embed or attach images. Thanks

Since the issue is with a different and specific manufacturer’s product, there really is nothing Apple can do about the failings of that product.

As I wrote:

«The best path to a true fix is to provide Feedback to Microsoft.»

sunnyone47 wrote:

…

You're suggesting that Apple doesn't monitor these communities threads to see what's bothering their customers? …

The appropriate way to provide product Feedback to Apple is by way of their designated Feedback mechanisms, such as their Feedback pages at Product Feedback - Apple.

Ahenobarbus wrote:

My workaround is to first save the photo to files, and then attach it.

You have to start from the photos app., click on the image you want to send, then select the share icon (box with arrow pointing up) at bottom left. scroll down to tap "Save to Files," select the destination folder, and click "Save" at top right.

Then go into the mail app. and start your email. Tap in the body of the email to bring up the menu, and scroll right to select "Add Document". Navigate to the location with in Files where you saved your photo and click on it. It will attach to the email.

…

If the email, received and read by an Outlook (or its derivatives) email client, is now properly treated by that email client, then it would be interesting to look at the attachment structure of the received email, to see how it differs from the default method of creating the same email, using Apple Mail.

This would provide a good clue as to what Outlook is doing wrong (not properly recognizing) with the email created using the default method.

To test this, simply perform the definitive test found in my comment at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251807601?answerId=254806789022#254806789022.

I would love to see the results!

leyda16 wrote:

The iPhone email app is a nightmare. I think it is embarrassing that other developers have a better email app than Apple's. I use either the Edison Mail app or the Outlook email app. Both add your pictures onto email as attachments, not embedded in the email body. I hope this helps someone.

Actually, leyda16, if any email client has any problems with any standards compliant message, which is the problem? The standards compliant message, or the client with the problem?

As for the standards compliance of the email messages sent by Apple’s Mail App, you need not take my word for it: simply perform the definitive test found in my comment at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251807601?answerId=254806789022#254806789022.

I would love to see your results!

Of course, dtvoss_1, both forms are sent as attachments. 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.

It’s quite possible that the only difference may be the “Content-Disposition” component: “inline” vs. nonexistent or “attachment” or some such.

The “Content-Disposition” component is entirely optional: both in whether it is included, as well as in whether any client even pays any attention to it. It is purely a “formatting” level (how such is displayed) component, and is not intended to have any affect upon any other functionality.

The only problem is that very tiny subset of email clients (consisting of a single email client and it derivatives) that disallow users the ability to perform bulk attachment operations (such as bulk-saves), seemingly, based solely upon attachment appearance-level (formatting) characteristics.

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.

Chapuis wrote:

…

"Since Steve Jobs passed away, Apple Breakthrough Innovations are no longer proposed and Customer Satisfaction is apparently not more in the center of focus! They will have to fix that, but it's very difficult now I guess!" (My personal opinion only of course!)

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.

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.

Kajin911:

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.

Welcome, hilyshaf, to Apple Support Communities!

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.

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!

I wasn’t sure if this has been answered but I think I accidentally found a solution.

1. Click on the attachment button at the top of my email.
2. Add the picture(s) and then if you quickly click on the picture once, it gives you the option to Send as Attachment or remove.
3. Click on Send as Attachment and it’ll attach to the email as it should.

**I included some pictures below.**

Welcome, AntonioMarcos, to Apple Support Communities!

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.

AntonioMarcos wrote:

I suggest everyone to COMPLAIN!

I believe a shower of feedback can make Apple go back and bring back the most obvious feature ever created since email was created!

Please claim:

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

That is always an available, and, even, encouraged, option!