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Photos coming through as .heic file name in iMessage??

For the last month or so, I have noticed that photos sent and received through iMessage are often displayed as an .heic file name (see screenshots below). I can only see the photo by clicking on it. The photo doesn't show in the conversation thread like it always did before.


Another layer to the mystery: this only seems to be happening with one friend. It's only happening in our iMessage convo. We send/receive photos from other people without issue. AND, it doesn't happen every time! Some photos we send still go through perfectly normally. We can't figure out any kind of pattern or cause for the change. Anyone else experiencing this and can shed any insight?


Other facts that may help your conclusion:

  • We both have iOS 14.0.1
  • We both have iPhone 11's
  • We both have T-Mobile


Thanks for any help you can offer!



Posted on Oct 11, 2020 8:09 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 16, 2020 9:44 AM

Hello ce_13,


After reviewing your post, it seems like some photos, sometimes, in only one conversation, will show up as the filename but will appear as a photo if you tap them. One thing you could do is to delete the only conversation this is happening in and then create a new conversation and see if the issue persists in that new conversation.


"Delete a conversation

  1. In the Messages list, swipe left on the conversation.
  2. Tap Delete."


Delete messages on iPhone


"Send a message

You can send a text message to one or more people.

  1. Tap  at the top of the screen to start a new message, or tap an existing message.
  2. Enter the phone number, contact name, or Apple ID of each recipient. Or, tap , then choose contacts.
  1. Tap the text field, type your message, then tap  to send.
    • An alert  appears if a message can’t be sent. Tap the alert to try sending the message again.

Tip: To see what time a message was sent or received, drag the message bubble to the left.

To view conversation details, tap the name or phone number at the top of the screen, then tap . You can tap the contact to edit the contact card, share your location, view attachments, leave a group conversation, and more.

To return to the Messages list from a conversation, tap  or swipe from the left edge."


Send and receive text messages on iPhone


Please don't hesitate to let us know if the steps resolved your issue or if you need additional assistance.


Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. Have a nice day.

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 16, 2020 9:44 AM in response to ce_13

Hello ce_13,


After reviewing your post, it seems like some photos, sometimes, in only one conversation, will show up as the filename but will appear as a photo if you tap them. One thing you could do is to delete the only conversation this is happening in and then create a new conversation and see if the issue persists in that new conversation.


"Delete a conversation

  1. In the Messages list, swipe left on the conversation.
  2. Tap Delete."


Delete messages on iPhone


"Send a message

You can send a text message to one or more people.

  1. Tap  at the top of the screen to start a new message, or tap an existing message.
  2. Enter the phone number, contact name, or Apple ID of each recipient. Or, tap , then choose contacts.
  1. Tap the text field, type your message, then tap  to send.
    • An alert  appears if a message can’t be sent. Tap the alert to try sending the message again.

Tip: To see what time a message was sent or received, drag the message bubble to the left.

To view conversation details, tap the name or phone number at the top of the screen, then tap . You can tap the contact to edit the contact card, share your location, view attachments, leave a group conversation, and more.

To return to the Messages list from a conversation, tap  or swipe from the left edge."


Send and receive text messages on iPhone


Please don't hesitate to let us know if the steps resolved your issue or if you need additional assistance.


Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. Have a nice day.

Photos coming through as .heic file name in iMessage??

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