Photo settings on iPhone's Safari stuck on “Private Access” with iOS 17

The setting “Private Access” is perfectly fine. If you have trouble selecting photos from your Photo Library to upload to websites there might be another problem (like e.g. not seeing videos in the selector because the site would only take stills).

As the text for this “unchangeable setting” explains, it means that Safari and therefore websites by default have No Access to your Photo Library, it remains “Private”.

When you want to upload photos to a website from your Photo Library, you get a photo picker like the one for „Limited Access“ to select which photos the upload process will see at all. The only difference to „Limited Access“ is, that it does not remember your last choices but defaults to no photos selected for access every time. Hence the different naming „Private Access“.

This is by the way not new and exactly the way photo selection for certain apps like Browsers worked before (I assume since iOS 14). With iOS 17 only the presentation and wording of this function changed. Up to iOS 16 “Limited Access” showed as “Selected Photos” and Apps like Safari would be listed separately under the heading “Apps with One-Off Photo Selection”, see screenshot.

I has a very similar problem. When I check Settings>Privacy>Photos, I had a single app that only had two options available to select -- None, Add Only.

I was able to solve this problem, by going to Settings>General>iPhone Storage and selecting the app in question, and choose the offload option which deletes the app, but retains its data. After reinstalling the app, all options became visible.

Note, this only became a problem for me with iOS 17.01

In reply to vb_ „unrestricted access“

No, that’s not what „Private Access“ means, read the description. It means your photos are kept private FROM Safari, while still allowing you to select photos to upload in a specific instance.

That‘s by the way how Safari always handled it, only now it is explicitly explained and given the name „Private Access“.

As far as I understand, previous iOS versions you could choose no access, limited access and full access. With new photo picker, apps do not have access to your photos at all but shows you what an option as full library to pick photos that you would like to share with the app or you don't pick any photos and app does not have access to any photos.

Basically, new photo picker is restricting access to photos as default (as no access option in. previous iOS) but gives you only one of the option (Limited Access) with much easier to use by allowing you to pick any photo from your library instead of choosing it in advance. So, there is no full access to photos option anymore.

I hope this helps

Delivering an Enhanced Privacy Experience in Your Photos App | Apple Developer Documentation

People, please read before posting!

It’s been said before:

“Private Access” means your photos stay private!

The Apps showing that status have no independent or permanent access, and also cannot ask for or be given any independent or permanent access to the photo library.

But those apps can bring up a special system photo browser for you to select some photos for single use in that moment alone. Think of it as a more convenient equivalent to copy and paste those photos. The app sees only the result of your selection, never the photo browser itself. That’s why this type is also called a private photo browser.

iPad Pro 17.1.1

I’m having the same issue since the last update. However, I figured out a workaround until Apple fixes this bug.

In order to post a photo or video to an App or a social media url webpage that has Private Access or an App that has the correct permissions but still doesn’t work:

1) In Photos, select the photo or video you want to post.

2) Hold down on the photo or video until a menu pops out.

3) Select Share then Save To Files

4) Select iCloud Drive

5) Save it to the Downloads folder

6) Posting on an APP or url website, Select Photo/Video icon

7) Select Choose Files

8) Select iCloud Drive

9) Open Downloads folder and select your photo or video

This is really a messed up way to share photos and videos, but it works. If anyone has a better solution, please share.

Updating to 17.1.1 also helped me. Safari is no longer on the list and no other apps appear to have this atrocious setting (since it really gave full access and let you select from your entire library). Now to figure out why keyboard shortcuts keep appearing and don’t enable true changes in some instances. Fix one thing, five more things pop up. 🤔

I FIGURED IT OUT!

Holy crap this mess-up with locking apps out of our own photo access is ridiculous & must have happened during the latest update.

For those of you insisting we are all too dumb to know how to toggle on/off access within our apps need reading comprehension. Many of us said over & over, the toggle access was NOT available in some apps like it was in others, which is the whole problem!

Here’s what I did, you won’t believe how ridiculous this is:

Settings> Screentime > Content & Privacy Restrictions toggle ON > Media & Apple Music toggle to ALLOW> Allow Changes toggle ON > toggle PHOTOS OFF!

In reply to tekkcarter „it’s shady“:

If you read the description, „Private Access“ is exactly what you demand: temporary access for the moment you select photos and only to those you select at that time. It keeps your photos private FROM the App.

Which is by the way how Safari always handled it. The only thing that changed in iOS 17 is Apple trying to communicate that better by showing it as „Private Access“.

Yes, additional communication can be confusing, reading usually helps.

I spoke with Apple last week (end of April 2024) about this. I noticed this private access just before. Only the couple of apps that I’ve shared limited access to my photos did they then changed from no access to private access. I tested it and did change the access. I complained to Apple that they shouldn’t be controlling what we want for our settings. They didn’t see the issue and appears won’t be doing anything about it. Btw I have 17.4.1 version

I got in contact with apple support and basically all you gotta do is go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > select Photos under the PRIVACY to "Don't Allow Changes" and then wait for ten seconds and then turn it back to Allow Changes After that, restart your device and check if the issue persists

Yo guys!!!! I found the solution, just shut down your iPhone/ipad and wait for 2 minutes then when you turn it on. Your settings will be back to normal!

hope this helps

I was literally stuck on this same problem until I just turned off my phone completely off and then turning it back on it’s a simple glitch should work.

Deep in this thread I saw someone say “power off your phone for 2 mins, then power it back up” and it actually WORKED!! Try it and see if it fixes your frozen “private access” settings issue!! It magically solved mine!

I couldn’t use Instagram at all because of the stupid device settings issue! Wouldn’t give me any access to photos, camera, nothing! But, I restarted my phone and now can use Instagram no problem, didn’t even have to go back into settings to change anything, it just works again!!

Interestingly iOS 17.1 public release fixed mine. Within the settings, Safari is gone. Along with private access obviously.