ios is converting png photos with transparent background

This stupid issue is driving me CRAZY. I literally cannot create gifs or do my design work anymore because my iPad refuses to to save png transparent images. It's so dumb. I paid almost $2K for something that can be supported with a $800 non IOS laptop.. it's ridiculous. I hope Apple does something about this.

I was looking at a faq from a photo editing app. It had an answer for people having a problem with. PNG files in iOS. It says to go to settings>photos>optimization. Change that setting to "save originals" from "optimize photos" (which saves drive space, but can change the type of photo file).

I am attaching the screenshot of the faq I read, so you can make your own decision. You can always switch back to the optimization setting. I assume that anything already optimized will stay optimized, but new items might stay as transparent PNG's.

*I am not a specialist by any means, so please make your own choices.

I'm still using iOS 14 and I'm also having this issue.

I really need my backgrounds to stay transparent. The only workaround I've found is to save my files to Dropbox and work with them from there but I have to add them there from my pc for that to work and I can only place them in the program I need them in, I don't think if I edited them the background would stay transparent. This is a huge pain and adds extra steps to an already long process.

Please tell me they going to fix this!

Please call back and have them post a ticket to engineering. This is the only way we'll ever get this fixed.

Has anyone got this issue resolved. Tried contacting apple support and they tried saying Im doing it wrong. And that iPhone always changes things to which I called him out and said no. I just hung up on the guy was getting no where

I agree with you. The transparencies do remain transparent for a longer time, if I save them to files. In photos it appears that they only last for a week at most. It's pretty annoying. I don't know why, but I haven't gotten around to calling AppleCare with the issue.

Originally, I was in this discussion because my iPad completely stopped saving anything as a transparency during a roughly 10 day period. Then I discovered that Files would save the transparency around day 5 (I need that ability, so it was a horrible event. I use transparencies every day). Then, without even an Apple iPadOs upgrade, the issue with Photos simply ended and I could again save to photos as transparencies (available for the limited time that you described, thank heavens).

In short, what you described is exactly what I have always noticed. There is a time limit (which I have not figured out), then the .png file is converted to a solid background.

I guess our question is somewhat the same: Why does iOS/iPadOs seemingly need to convert our graphic file types.

The best way to get this fixed is for everyone call AppleCare and submit a complaint to get this fixed. Also, you can go to Product Feedback - Apple and submit a request that they fix it. The more people that complain, the faster it will be fixed.

First of all, thank you for posting this issue. 

I downloaded iPadOS 15.1 last night (October 27, 2021).

I have the exact issue. I've used an app (rmK Pro), that either removes the black or the white background, and leaves a clean .png with a transparent background. I always immediately save the transparencies to photos until I transfer them into my editing app (Bazaart).

I'd like to add that I took a transparent .png that had been placed into the rnK Pro editing app a few weeks ago (from photos), and placed it back into photos, then transferred it back into Bazaart that same editing app, and voila...no longer transparent. 

HEARTBREAKING!

*I did not expect to see anyone with this issue, so I have to admit that I am glad that we as a group prove it is not a fluke.

Have you found an answer to this concern?

What I have done in the past few days, was establish an Amazon Prime Photos account, which is free with your Amazon Prime membership. That way whenever you put a transparent PNG in the Apple Photo App, it automatically places the PNG into the Amazon Photo App (which won't unconvert the transparent PNG).

This allows you to create a file for png's within your Files App, then Save the transparent PNG into that file.

Next, copy the PNG file and pasted it into the app where you need the transparency.

I know it is a pain in the butt, however, at least you can use the transparency.

This is the only way that I have been able to use transparencies, even though it is time consuming and requires about five extra steps to do something that Apples 15.1 downgrade (sarcasm), has taken away from us.

There is probably a better workaround, but this is the only way I have found that, at least, allows me to continue to create.

I'm attaching a step by step, and hope that it helps. I wanted to help you so badly, but it is a lot to digest, and took me days to try and figure out myself.

I wish I could be clearer, but I'm new to this kind of thing myself.

Peace.

That is so true! You have to now copy and paste the transparency to your app. Which is now a downgrade of extra steps to do. I wonder what the next up grade on Apple will be? Worse? It makes you afraid to up grade your phone. I guess the real idea is that they want you to pay monthly for picture programs. Rip off the consumer more.

Here's the crazy thing. My iPhone 13 Pro is storing transparent PNG files without issue. Using the Union App to overlay on to photos to create a watermark. However, Airdrop the same PNG onto my wife's iPhone XR and it converts it so that there is no transparent background. I've tried emailing and texting to no avail. Both devices are running iOS 15.1

What's the deal Apple? Is this only a pro feature?

Hi you all,

i was having the same problem and after reading the replies, i tried this new way of saving my transparent files to png in photoshop and then imported them to my iphone and now the problem is SOLVED! The picture is transparent again and now i can use it.

hope it works for all of you too.

I found this problem today having repeatedly re-doing the creation of pngs with transparent background them importing as a separate layer to discover the white background. My solution was to save the transparent png to Files. Importing from that location works fine.

Some of the png’s background remains transparent while the one I kept using has became white (background). I’ve redone it using another app.. but that file converted itself to white background AGAIN! Is there a way to force it to stay as the way it was created (transparent background)? Why would it start to convert itself?