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User profile for user: Lucas1948
Lucas1948 Author
User level: Level 1
104 points

Why photos sent via Messages won't open

I'm the tech support person for my family. My adult granddaughter has a recurring problem with Messages on her iPhone 11. A couple of weeks ago, she asked me to figure out why photos she got from friends in Messages refused to open. I came to this forum and found a (if not THE) solution. I quickly pressed and released the volume up button, then quickly pressed and released the volume down button, and then pressed and held the side button until the Apple logo appeared. That fixed the problem, and she could now open pictures from her friends in Messages.


Fast forward to this past weekend (about two weeks later). Again, my granddaughter handed me her phone and asked me to fix the same problem. I followed the same steps and again fixed the problem. Now we're all wondering what causes this situation to develop in the first place. I've checked a few things on her phone, and I've found—

    • Her storage is kinda full, but not quite maxed out.
    • She does use iCloud to store her photos. (Pretty sure about that.)
    • She has NOT turned on Lockdown mode.


I do not have access to her phone at this moment, nor do I see her more than about once a week. At any rate, can anyone here offer some tips on how to keep this problem from recurring. Thanks!

iPhone 11

Posted on May 30, 2023 9:41 AM

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User profile for user: Lucas1948
Lucas1948 Author
User level: Level 1
104 points

Posted on May 30, 2023 10:46 AM

Many thanks, H1290! I'll pull up your reply next time I meet with my granddaughter and check out her phone.

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User profile for user: H1290
H1290
User level: Level 5
6,327 points

May 30, 2023 10:00 AM in response to Lucas1948

Hello Lucas1948!


This issue has been reported many times in the ASC.


Steps that seem to solve the issue are: 


  1. Please ensure that iCould Photos are turned on: Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support. 
  2. I was asked to troubleshoot this issue on a relative’s iPhone. iCould Photos were turned on, but his iCould storage was full. So I used this Support Article to “make some space,” and the photos started showing correctly. 


Also:


  1. Please turn off iMessages in your settings.
  2. Turn off iPhone. 
  3. Leave for 1 min. 
  4. Turn iPhone back on. 
  5. Go to Settings, and turn iMessages back on (wait 1 min. after doing so)
  6. Tap on JPEG files in your messages, and they will appear (some automatically)


These steps work for some people, and don’t work for others. Hopefully, they will work for your granddaughter!


If the issue persists, I would recommend you Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support.


I hope this is helpful. Good Luck!


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Why photos sent via Messages won't open

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