Email photo as attachment, not embedded, in iOS 14

Okay so I am using my iPhone and I want to send a picture. (Please treat me like I know nothing about this subject because I don't)

1. Go to photos
2. Select a photo
3. Select the little share icon in the bottom left corner
4. Check the picture I want has the blue tick in the bottom right corner
5. Press the "mail" icon

I don't see the picture as an attachment, I see it in the body of the email.

I also don't get the "What size do you want" with options like 'Small / Original / Large' (or words to that affect)

This is what I see doesn't work; and of course when the picture arrives, it's embedded.

You seem to be saying something different.

Can you please step it out so I can send emails as attachments?

Like I said... "Like I am stupid" because I am missing something here, and I feel stupid for not being able to work this out.

builder-al wrote:

There HAS to be a way to attach vs embedding a photo.. Has this been fixed yet?

Unfortunately, unlike the way these things may appear, and the way a certain tiny subset of email clients seem to have mis-trained their users, all files sent with or within an email have always been attachments, and always will be, for the foreseeable future.

There are at least two email body formats that can make email attachments look (format) different(ly):

• Plaintext (text/plain) email bodies cannot display attachments inline with text and other elements. (This is the oldest email body format, and has been going “extinct” since the ‘90s.)
• Various Richtext formats, such as text/html, can be formatted to display attachments inline with text and other elements.

However, regardless the formatting, all files sent with or within an email are always attachments.

As a result, there is, absolutely, no excuse for any email client to prevent users from performing bulk attachment operations (such as bulk-saves) based only upon the way the email client displays the received email—regardless the format of the email body.

Yet. There is a certain tiny subset of email clients (actually, only a single one, and its derivatives, so far as anyone, here, has been able to determine) that persists in this sort of misbehavior.

The question to be asked is: should all email composing Apps be required to change their behavior, simply to try to get that tiny subset of email clients to “do the right thing”™️ with email attachments, or should that tiny subset of email clients be required to simply “do the right thing”™️ with email attachments, regardless how they may choose to display any received email?

(Since attachments are attachments, regardless of format, or the way any given email client may choose to display such; I believe the answer is quite clear.)

It is just as I have always characterized the issue (once I understood it, about last October or November):

1. The root problem is that very tiny subset of email clients (apparently consisting of a single email client and its derivatives) that will prevent users from performing bulk attachment operations (such as bulk-saves) based only upon their own, internal “reasons” (apparently, also reflected in how said email clients seem to display such received email).
2. There was a fragile “workaround” that allowed for the observed “cooperation” between that very tiny subset of email clients and Apple Mail.
3. Some change in the web of interdependencies occurred at about the time of the release of iOS 14: it could be a change in the default formatting of composed emails, in Apple Mail; it could be a new implementation of the latest Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) International Internet Standard, used in transferring email from Apple Mail to email servers, such as Microsoft Exchange servers; it could be both; or it could even be something else that happened to occur at about the same time.
   1. Note: we know this is more than simply Apple Mail because:
      1. Apple Mail still abides by the International Internet Standards that govern email creation and transfer: this is demonstrated by looking at the raw text of the received emails, as well as the result of Outlook’s own “Save As” HTML operation.
      2. There are, or have been, “workarounds” that only involve changing the destination of the first SMTP transfer from Apple Mail to any email server that is not a Microsoft Exchange server.
4. Said change broke the fragile “workaround”.

What you, and so many other users, are judging by is purely circumstantial evidence: a mere correlation (‘A’ changed at about the same time as ‘B’ changed).

There’s a reason courts of Law disallow circumstantial evidence: such can all too easily point in the wrong direction, misleading the entire investigation.

This is why it took those of us that investigated this issue a month or two to figure this out.

Unfortunately, Rachel.H.U., you, like so many others, appear to be judging based only upon appearances, rather than actuality or functionality.

1. All files, that are any part of an email, are always attachments. There is simply no other choice! (This is as required by the International Internet Standards that govern email creation and interchange.)
2. Therefore, the only differences you are observing are purely appearance: the way the email is formatted and displayed by any given email client.
3. Now, if it were not for the very tiny subset of email clients that—for whatever reason, known only to their creator—prevent their users from performing bulk attachment operations (such as bulk-saves), under certain conditions (again, known fully only to their creator), there would never be any functionality issues, whatsoever!
4. As a result, the only actual fix is to get the creator of that very tiny subset of email clients (consisting of only a single email client and its derivatives, so far as anyone, within the Apple Support Communities, has been able to determine, so far), to fix this issue in their software.
5. Anything else will be an utterly fragile workaround, subject to breaking with any tiny change in the web of interactions involved in transferring emails. (This is, actually, the very reason this issue has ever popped up—whether with iOS 14, as well as with various previous iOS versions.)

Jonnakc wrote:

…

To APPLE: This is absolutely the most stupid change ever. Not being able to attach photos to messages completely removes the ability to share photos with friends & family and have them be able to save them if they want. Sometimes (no, often) I ask myself why do I use Apple products!

(I clicked reply to a Feb. 2nd answer from BTs2Cents, but it put my answer as a new one)

Unfortunately, Jonnakc, you, like so many others, appear to be judging based only upon appearances, rather than actuality or functionality.

1. All files, that are any part of an email, are always attachments. There is simply no other choice! (This is as required by the International Internet Standards that govern email creation and interchange.)
2. Therefore, the only differences you are observing are purely appearance: the way the email is formatted and displayed by any given email client.
3. Now, if it were not for the very tiny subset of email clients that—for whatever reason, known only to their creator—prevent their users from performing bulk attachment operations (such as bulk-saves), under certain conditions (again, known fully only to their creator), there would never be any functionality issues, whatsoever!
4. As a result, the only actual fix is to get the creator of that very tiny subset of email clients (consisting of only a single email client and its derivatives, so far as anyone, within the Apple Support Communities, has been able to determine, so far), to fix this issue in their software.
5. Anything else will be an utterly fragile workaround, subject to breaking with any tiny change in the web of interactions involved in transferring emails. (This is, actually, the very reason this issue has ever popped up—whether with iOS 14, as well as with various previous iOS versions.)

As a result, of all the above, there is, actually, no “fix” that is within Apple’s power or authority.

The best thing for all affected parties to do is to petition the creator of that very tiny subset of email clients with the actual user issue (items 3 and 4), to fix their email clients.

Trying to get a non-responsible party (Apple) to “fix” this is an exercise in futility.

Oh. By the way. Apple isn’t here. We are but fellow users, like yourself!

You can provide Apple direct Feedback, using their provided Feedback mechanisms. However, seeing as how they have no power or authority over the actual software causing the issues y’all are experiencing, such is unlikely to provide any actual “fixes”.

Welcome, Lotus9999, to Apple Support Communities!

Unfortunately, you, like so many others, appear to be judging based only upon appearances, rather than actuality or functionality.

1. All files, that are any part of an email, are always attachments. There is simply no other choice! (This is as required by the International Internet Standards that govern email creation and interchange.)
2. Therefore, the only differences you are observing are purely appearance: the way the email is formatted and displayed by any given email client.
3. Now, if it were not for the very tiny subset of email clients that—for whatever reason, known only to their creator—prevent their users from performing bulk attachment operations (such as bulk-saves), under certain conditions (again, known fully only to their creator), there would never be any functionality issues, whatsoever!
4. As a result, the only actual fix is to get the creator of that very tiny subset of email clients (consisting of only a single email client and its derivatives, so far as anyone, within the Apple Support Communities, has been able to determine, so far), to fix this issue in their software.
5. Anything else will be an utterly fragile workaround, subject to breaking with any tiny change in the web of interactions involved in transferring emails. (This is, actually, the very reason this issue has ever popped up—whether with iOS 14, as well as with various previous iOS versions.)

As a result, of all the above, there is, actually, no “fix” that is within Apple’s power or authority.

The best thing for all affected parties to do is to petition the creator of that very tiny subset of email clients with the actual user issue (items 3 and 4), to fix their email clients.

Trying to get a non-responsible party (Apple) to “fix” this is an exercise in futility.

Here’s the test you should perform:

Simply try any set of email clients on your received emails (that appear to have «pictures» «embedded within the body of the email»), and see which ones allow you to vs. prevent you from, performing bulk attachment operations (such as bulk-saves) upon said emails.

In other words, a functionality test vs. an appearance only test.

Now. What do you find?

Lotus9999 wrote:

Halliday wrote:

Welcome, terrapinny, to Apple Support Communities!

As I wrote to Lotus9999:

«…»

I could try to do that, but before doing so, I would ask you to actually read and understand the subject of this thread. …

I have been following this and many «thread[s]» like it since September of last year.

I, and several others (most of whom, unfortunately, have given up on people that refuse to learn: one even recommended that I, too, give up on y’all) have analyses this forward-backward, top-to-bottom, front-to-back, side-to-side, etc.

…

Not being able to bulk save pictures is a big pain, but if you had properly read the original title, you would have known that is simply a symptom / the side effect of the underlying problem – to which ironically, you've provided no solution.

I'll make it easy for you and paste it here: "Q: Email photo as attachment, not embedded, in iOS 14"

Once again, you are focusing upon superficial appearances (and the accompanying circumstantial “evidence”).

This is actually not new to iOS 14. It has “popped up” many times over the years, with various iOS versions.

Once again:

«

1. All files, that are any part of an email, are always attachments. There is simply no other choice! (This is as required by the International Internet Standards that govern email creation and interchange.) [In other words, there is no such thing as «embedded». There is only «attachment». Ever!]
2. Therefore, the only differences you are observing are purely appearance: the way the email is formatted and displayed by any given email client.
3. Now, if it were not for the very tiny subset of email clients that—for whatever reason, known only to their creator—prevent their users from performing bulk attachment operations (such as bulk-saves), under certain conditions (again, known fully only to their creator), there would never be any functionality issues, whatsoever!
4. As a result, the only actual fix is to get the creator of that very tiny subset of email clients (consisting of only a single email client and its derivatives, so far as anyone, within the Apple Support Communities, has been able to determine, so far), to fix this issue in their software.
5. Anything else will be an utterly fragile workaround, subject to breaking with any tiny change in the web of interactions involved in transferring emails. (This is, actually, the very reason this issue has ever popped up—whether with iOS 14, as well as with various previous iOS versions.)

As a result, of all the above, there is, actually, no “fix” that is within Apple’s power or authority.

The best thing for all affected parties to do is to petition the creator of that very tiny subset of email clients with the actual user issue (items 3 and 4), to fix their email clients.

Trying to get a non-responsible party (Apple) to “fix” this is an exercise in futility.

Here’s the test you should perform:

Simply try any set of email clients on your received emails (that appear to have «pictures» «embedded within the body of the email»), and see which ones allow you to vs. prevent you from, performing bulk attachment operations (such as bulk-saves) upon said emails.

In other words, a functionality test vs. an appearance only test.

Now. What do you find?»

As I pointed out in items 3 and 4:

«3. Now, if it were not for the very tiny subset of email clients that—for whatever reason, known only to their creator—prevent their users from performing bulk attachment operations (such as bulk-saves), under certain conditions (again, known fully only to their creator), there would never be any functionality issues, whatsoever!»

«4. As a result, the only actual fix is to get the creator of that very tiny subset of email clients (consisting of only a single email client and its derivatives, so far as anyone, within the Apple Support Communities, has been able to determine, so far), to fix this issue in their software.»

If the issue were truly about appearances, there would be no problem, except whatever appearance you wish.

As is so often the case, one must read beyond the superficial, to get down the the actual substance of the concerns.

If you have no issue beyond the appearances: no actual issue of functionality, then why are you so emotionally involved? Why is the appearance so important to you?

The trouble you are having, Lotus9999, is twofold:

1. There are only ever attached files, including photos/images/pictures/etc. So, there simply is no such thing as «embedded» such.
2. Hence, the only concept of «embedded» files/photos/images/pictures/etc. is purely in describing the appearance of the way a given email client formats/renders such.

Yes. Such are formatted/rendered inline with formatted text, and such, in a manner much like webpages.

This is pure appearance, and has nothing, whatsoever, to do with the reality of the situation, which is that all such are simply attached.

Use any email client other than Outlook, or its derivatives, and you, and everyone, will find that you can perform bulk attachment operations, such as bulk-saves, on the “embedded” appearing attachments.

So. Why do people put up with the misbehavior of this very tiny subset of email clients (Outlook and its derivatives)?

(I don’t recall Outlook behaving so badly back when I used to use it as a part of my work, before I retired. I even used Outlook in learning about the International Internet Standards that govern email composition and interchange.)

In fact, even Outlook betrays its own hypocrisy when you save such an email—that Outlook refuses to allow you to, otherwise, save all attachments (which, for some reason, causes people to be fooled into thinking that there are no attachments)—as HTML; only to find that it, thus, saves all the attachments as files, as you wanted in the first place.

(Back when I used Outlook in learning about the International Internet Standards that govern email composition and interchange, Outlook had the ability to show the raw text form of the entire received email—since all emails are formatted as pure text for transmission: this form, likewise, exposes Outlook’s hypocrisy; since, in this form, all the attachments are laid out for your view, so long as you are not “put off” by the text “gibberish” that binary files are sent as.)

Since there have been many posts on this subject, I felt should summarise what works for me. I am on iOS 14.4.

I don't like the idea of using the text app as I believe this just converts the message to an MMS, compresses the files and (in my case anyway) incurs extra charges.

1. Attach a very short video with your photographs. This makes the photos present as attachments. The receiver just discards the video. Not everyone likes this way around so:-
2. Use a g-mail (or I presume any other non-MS/Outlook derived e-mail system) as your default sending account on your iPhone. The photos then display at the other end as attachments, seemingly even when receiving through MS Exchange. If they are not presented this way with an MS derived e-mail account, send to the g-mail account. This always works for me.

I am very definitely non-techy so I hope this helps some of us out there.

Hi, This has come about since Apple upgraded to iOS14. It is now up to 14.4. It seemingly affects all Microsoft authored e-mail clients like Hotmail and Outlook. There are a few workarounds, but the two which I have used are:-

1. Attach a very short video with your photographs. This makes the photos present as attachments. The receiver just discards the video. Not everyone likes this way around so:-
2. Use a g-mail account (or I presume any other non-MS/Outlook derived e-mail system) as your default sending account on your iPhone. The photos then display at the other end as attachments, seemingly even when receiving through MS Exchange. If they are not presented this way with an MS derived e-mail account, send to the g-mail account. This always works for me.

I hope this helps.

Martin_Williams wrote:

Dear Halliday.

I think I speak on behalf of the people who use an iPhone and Outlook in the real world.

To quote

As a result, of all the above, there is, actually, no “fix” that is within Apple’s power or authority.

What a load of rubbish - Apple made a change, they can change it back …

Two (2) things:

1. That might—only might—be reasonable if any change Apple made was purely incidental—not for any “greater” purpose:
   1. Apple doesn’t tend to stay static. They are always working to take better advantages of the various International standards, and even work to advance such standards (such as the new USB4 standard).
2. There were, likely, more than a single change, that Apple made, and all the changes, with regard to email, were to come into better compliance with, and take better advantage of, the latest International Internet Standards governing email creation and interchange.
   1. Apple is not inclined to “hold back” simply because some third-party email software has poor Standards compliance and/or poor programming.

Besides, iOS 14 is far from the first case where that same third-party email software “broke down”.

I would fully expect Apple programmers and their management to be saying “enough is enough”. I expect they aren’t going to continue to “play that game”, with that third-party.

… Like most of us on here, we don't care about the details just that it broke when we went to iOS 14. …

I understand that thinking.

Unfortunately, it is the very kind of thinking that causes stagnation.

One must understand the root causes in order to know the correct course of action.

While y’all may not wish to participate in that, all of the more experienced users, here, on the Apple Support Communities (that participated in any related Discussions), have taken the time to come to understand the root causes.

Additionally, the Apple programmers y’all are wanting to “pressure” into “reversing” their changes, understand these details (and, probably, more), and will, very likely, “push back”, hard, against the stagnation that would lead to.

(In point of fact, if y’all were to “demand” that «email photo[s]» be implemented as «attachment[s]», rather than being “«embedded»”—to use the terminology of this Discussion—the response from the Apple programmers, involved, will likely be: “They are «attachment[s]». They have never been otherwise. NEXT!”)

… As for using another email client other that outlook - seriously are you in the real world ? Have you not seen what has become the normal ? …

Hey. It’s up to y’all.

You can either adapt, or petition the responsible company to “get their act together”, or be perpetually “miserable”, perpetual “victims” of your own making.

Back when I used Outlook, in the corporate/governmental world, Outlook didn’t have such problems.

If they had, I, and others would have contacted Microsoft and demanded corrections.

(I did the same for some of our other software suppliers, and, usually, received satisfaction in short order.

I did have one, where their software had a limitation on Windows, but had no such limitation on their mainframe or UNIX versions.

They told me that the problem was a limitation in Windows.

I found that to be likely, but still performed deeper investigations.

Ultimately, I found that their claimed Windows limitation only occurred if one uses the Stack in transferring data, rather than the Heap [«the technical details»], which is more appropriate for large amounts of data.

So. I contacted the company and shared my findings with them.

They, subsequently, contacted me, back, and informed me that a corrected version of their software for Windows would be available the following month.

This is the power of understanding «the technical details».)

… Sorry mate but you are on another planet and us mere users are on planet earth and don't like it when things stop working following an update. …

I’m here «on planet earth», as well.

The only difference is that my “eyes” seem to be more “open”.

(Of course, much of that is due to nearly a half century of experience with computer systems.)

(To be continued …)

Lotus9999 wrote:

Halliday wrote: Now. Rather than purely «look[ing]» at appearances, how about trying the functional

test of saving all attachments

Lotus9999 wrote: So clearly it is NOT just an Outlook problem…

Rather than continue EXPLAINING how I – and 100 other people in this thread – are wrong in our understanding of how it really works or our perception of it, you have yet to actually come up with a solution to the original request asking this in a nutshell: "HOW can I send emails using my iPhone where the photos are not embedded in the emails, and are attachments, like how it used to be for years"?

The answer, as I, and others, have posted for months, here and within previous Discussions on this issue, are twofold:

1. Apple Mail is, and always has been, «send[ing] emails … where the photos are … attachments, like how it [has always] be[en] for years», even at those times, through the years, when this Outlook issue surfaced with previous iOS versions.
2. As far as getting your Outlook (and Outlook derived) email clients to allow you, the user, to perform bulk attachment operations (such as bulk-saves), that is not something Apple can actually fix. Y’all must contact the responsible company, in order to have that fixed.
3. Anything else is but a fragile workaround, subject to being easily broken by any tiny changes in the web of interactions involved in transferring emails. (This is how this issue came up with the change to iOS 14, as well as many other times, in the past years, with earlier iOS versions.)

I am at my wit's end as to how else to communicate that to you. I suppose that is because you simply do not know the answer to it...

See the long-standing answer, above…

… In which case, I don't understand why you continue hammering your point, when clearly, your "solutions/explanations" are not satisfying anybody in this thread? Otherwise, why would we still be discussing it?

I’m sorry, but, as we can see within other Discussions within Apple Support Communities, the actual answers are not always the “answers” people want to hear.

Lotus9999:

The longstanding answer is:

«The answer, as I, and others, have posted for months, here and within previous Discussions on this issue, are twofold:

1. Apple Mail is, and always has been, «send[ing] emails … where the photos are … attachments, like how it [has always] be[en] for years», even at those times, through the years, when this Outlook issue surfaced with previous iOS versions.
2. As far as getting your Outlook (and Outlook derived) email clients to allow you, the user, to perform bulk attachment operations (such as bulk-saves), that is not something Apple can actually fix. Y’all must contact the responsible company, in order to have that fixed.
3. Anything else is but a fragile workaround, subject to being easily broken by any tiny changes in the web of interactions involved in transferring emails. (This is how this issue came up with the change to iOS 14, as well as many other times, in the past years, with earlier iOS versions.)»

Is that still too technical?

Unfortunately, as far as «inconsequential» or other judgements, as they say: “You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink.”

TarHeelTech wrote:

…

The issue clearly started the day we upgraded our iPhones from iOS v13 to v14. You mention that it started in September. It's a weird coincidence that iOS 14 was released September 16, 2020. …

Only this latest incidence started with iOS 14. There have been many other instances, through the years, that occurred with a number of previous iOS versions.

The longstanding answer is:

«The answer, as I, and others, have posted for months, here and within previous Discussions on this issue, are twofold:

1. Apple Mail is, and always has been, «send[ing] emails … where the photos are … attachments, like how it [has always] be[en] for years», even at those times, through the years, when this Outlook issue surfaced with previous iOS versions.
2. As far as getting your Outlook (and Outlook derived) email clients to allow you, the user, to perform bulk attachment operations (such as bulk-saves), that is not something Apple can actually fix. Y’all must contact the responsible company, in order to have that fixed.
3. Anything else is but a fragile workaround, subject to being easily broken by any tiny changes in the web of interactions involved in transferring emails. (This is how this issue came up with the change to iOS 14, as well as many other times, in the past years, with earlier iOS versions.)»

This will continue to be the case, so long as the responsible company does not correct the issue with their products.

… I first posted my work-around to use the Outlook app on Jan 1. I did this merely to help the millions of iOS users because this thread had proved to me that they needed a work-around.…

You continue with:

I will prove that the issue is not with Outlook, nor Exchange, nor MS 365. The proof is not by *sending* an email and seeing if it arrives as an attachment. The proof is prior to clicking "Send". Here are the steps I followed: Open Photos and select the desired photo, click the upload button, select the native iOS email app; notice that the picture is [has the appearance of being] embedded in the body of the email. If the email starts with [what appears as] an embedded photo in draft format on the iPhone, it's not going to magically convert to [something that y’all call] an attachment when it hits an Exchange server. However, when I select the Outlook app as the option to upload the photo, then the drafted email shows the picture as -something y’all call] an attachment. …

You then conclude:

… Therefore, the issue has nothing to do with Outlook, nor Exchange, nor MS 365. The issue is obviously caused by the iOS upgrade from v13 to v14. …

Unfortunately, as you can see in my additions to your comment, you, like so many others, are judging based only upon superficialities (appearances) and circumstantial evidence.

If, however, you could actually demonstrate that the emails authored by Apple Mail are not actually emails with attachments, but do something else, that is not consistent with the International Internet Standards that govern email creation and interchange; then you would have something to accuse Apple of.

On the other hand, the counter evidence we have, before even checking the Raw text of the emails created by Apple Mail, are as follows:

1. No email clients, except Outlook, and its derivatives, have any problem allowing their users to perform bulk attachment operations (such as bulk-saves) on received emails from Apple Mail, regardless of appearance.
2. Even Outlook recognizes the attachment structure of received emails from Apple Mail: Within Outlook, simply save the email as HTML. You’ll find that all the attachments have been saved as files within the directory/folder Outlook creates.

Now. As I recall, from when I used to use Outlook in the governmental/corporate world, Outlook was able to allow me to view the Raw textual form of received emails.

Using that, one could see, once and for all, whether the structure of emails, from Apple Mail, adhere to the International Internet Standards that govern email creation and interchange.

… As for solutions to offer to the followers of this thread, I personally use the Outlook app with both a 365 account and my Gmail account. It will work with any email server. iOS used to not allow changing the default mail app away from the native app, but that is no longer the case. I confirmed that I can set my default email app to Outlook or Gmail. If you are trying to get photos from your phone to your own computer, using OneDrive, Google Drive, iCloud Drive, or Photos (the photo roll from your iPhone that is backed up to iCloud). …

That Outlook will work well in communicating emails from itself to itself should be completely unsurprising, to anyone, even if Outlook were to completely violate the International Internet Standards governing email creation and interchange.

The important part is to get it to work well with all standards compliant email clients.

(Continued …)

CJCragg wrote:

And further evidenced by my Outlook 2010 that hasn’t changed in years, always sent attachments until IOS 14.

IT’S APPLE WHO MESSED IT UP.

The longstanding answer is:

«The answer, as I, and others, have posted for months, here and within previous Discussions on this issue, are twofold:

1. Apple Mail is, and always has been, «send[ing] emails … where the photos are … attachments, like how it [has always] be[en] for years», even at those times, through the years, when this Outlook issue surfaced with previous iOS versions.
2. As far as getting your Outlook (and Outlook derived) email clients to allow you, the user, to perform bulk attachment operations (such as bulk-saves), that is not something Apple can actually fix. Y’all must contact the responsible company, in order to have that fixed.
3. Anything else is but a fragile workaround, subject to being easily broken by any tiny changes in the web of interactions involved in transferring emails. (This is how this issue came up with the change to iOS 14, as well as many other times, in the past years, with earlier iOS versions.)» (emphasis added)