Most photos on your iPhone contain exchangeable image file format data known as EXIF. This is commonly called metadata and might come in handy in varied situations. So it’s good to know how to view metadata of photos on your iPhone. The great thing is that it’s easier than ever before on the latest iOS 15 and later.
Before learning to view EXIF data on iPhone, let’s understand more about it.
- What is photo metadata?
- How to see photo info on iPhone
- View EXIF data on iPhone
- Bonus: How to view EXIF data on iPhone using a shortcut
- Other options to get photo metadata
What is photo metadata?
Metadata or EXIF data usually includes the following information:
- iPhone model, camera type
- Camera settings – ISO, shutter, focal length, lens, aperture
- Image Information – Format, file size, date and time, resolution
- Location data – where the photo was captured
Metadata isn’t limited to only photos you have clicked with your own iPhone. It also implies to images that are transferred or received via various methods and even screenshots.
This information helps your iPhone and other devices categorize your images and find results based on your search queries in the Photos app. Moreover, EXIF data can help you improve your photography skills, allowing you to see the camera settings for each picture captured.
The information is automatically generated, but you can control some aspects. For instance, you can disable geotagging or edit photo metadata on iPhone to change some details. Editing previously required a third-party app, but iOS 15 makes it easy right from the Photos app.
How to see photo info on iPhone
Metadata is contained within every image, but it’s a bit tricky to find. However, iOS 15 changes that and makes it available within the Photos app itself.
- Go to the Photos app.
- Open the image for which you want to see the metadata.
- Tap the i icon at the bottom. Or, simply swipe up the image.
This will reveal details about where the photo was taken, the camera settings, etc. - If you want to edit the photo’s metadata, tap Adjust.
Here you can change the date and time that’s attached to the photo. - Tap Done to save or Cancel to leave the original date and time details.
View EXIF data on iPhone running iOS 14 or earlier
The process is slightly complicated but doable:
- Open the Photos app and select the image(s) for which you want to check metadata
- Tap on the Share tab at the bottom left.
- Scroll down and select Save to Files.
- Select a location for the file and tap Save.
- Now, exit the Photos app and open the Files app.
- Locate and long-press the saved photo to invoke the contextual menu.
- Here tap info from the menu.
- On the Information page, tap Show More and scroll down to see detailed metadata.
- Once satisfied, tap Done.
One downside of this method is that saving images to the Files app will quickly eat up precious storage space on your device. So, remember to delete the photos from the Files app you don’t need anymore.
Alternatively, you can try the shortcut method to see photo details on your iPhone.
Bonus: How to view EXIF data on iPhone using a shortcut
In this method, we’ll look at how to see photo info on iPhone using a third-party shortcut dubbed EXIF Photo Details, sourced from RoutineHub.
Before we proceed, ensure that you have enabled untrusted shortcuts and download the Shortcut from icloud.com. Then, follow the steps below:
- Open the Shortcuts app and tap EXIF Photo Details.
Alternatively, you can ask Siri to invoke the EXIF Photo Details shortcut. - Here, tap Select photos or Select files.
- Now, select Album and tap the image or images for which you want to check the metadata.
- Select Done.
Wait a few minutes until a new page loads. - Scroll down to check the EXIF data.
- Tap the Share tab → Save to Files to save EXIF data.
- Select location and tap Save, or convert it to PDF as per your choice
- Select Done to exit.
This method is relatively fast and lets you select multiple images at once. You can also use the Share Sheet to share or save the metadata or EXIF information.
Other options to get photo metadata
In addition to the methods explained above, you can also use some third-party apps to view the metadata of images on your iPhone. Further, most manual camera apps store detailed EXIF info whenever you click an image so that you can view it anytime.
All in all, I’m glad that iOS 15 has finally made it easy to view the metadata within the Photos app.
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Mehak has a master’s degree in communication and over ten years of writing experience. Her passion for technology and Apple products led her to iGeeksBlog, where she specializes in writing product roundups and app recommendations for fellow Apple users. When not typing away on her MacBook Pro, she loves being lost in a book or out exploring the world.
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Bravo, what a great answer.
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Thank you, Mehak. Your article was crisp and helped me with selecting the precise solution for my search of EXIF data for my photos. I am in the midst of changing my photo workflow by replacing my MacBook Pro with the iPad Pro and I am eagerly looking forward to the iPad OS 15.