We are sorry you aren’t able to see the most basic properties of your image on your $1000 ‘Pro’ iPhone.
But! You are not alone. We work with hundreds of images daily. The photos we share on the website need to be cropped to fit certain standards. The hardware and software we use varies from person to person, but one particular gripe we have with Apple devices is the way they handle images.
We challenge you! Try checking the resolution of your last photo… or the size, ISO, shutter speed… You get the point.
We have no idea why a company like Apple, which puts a lot of effort into delivering the best camera performance on their devices, would overlook such a basic feature. Even if we ignore the camera experience (which we wouldn’t do), some might need to check image resolution or size - it is necessary for any kind of SEO, UI, or design work.
The reSolution
Sorry about the pun...
There isn’t one single fix to the problem. You can’t enable the feature, because it’s just not there.
However, Apple’s AppStore happens to be the biggest one available - with the widest selection of apps, and as you might know, there’s an app for everything. Therefore, there are plenty of ‘fixes’.
The first couple of apps might be very familiar to you:
Google Photos (tap on the three dots in the top right corner)
Amazon Photos (tap on the info icon in the top right corner)
Google Photos on the right; Amazon Photos on the left
Google Photos on the right; Amazon Photos on the left
We are sure you’ve seen or used at least one of them. They offer the basic options of viewing your image size and resolution with just one tap. In fact, if the photo was taken by your device, you can also check your ISO, aperture, and shutter speed - sweet!
However, what if you are a power user who wants to go in depth? We tested a few apps, and the following two stood out:
Google Photos on the right; Amazon Photos on the left
This one has a simple-looking interface. The image metadata is extensive. We literally can’t go through every single thing it is able to tell you about a photo, as this article will turn into a novel.
Initially, it shows you all the basic properties like ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. However, you can click ‘see all’ to find out all the Exif information. Unfortunately the app can’t let you delete or modify the metadata. Therefore, Metapho (we are rapping at this point!) looks somewhat… unfinished. Just like its name.
If you didn’t know… Now you know:
Exif stands for Exchangeable Image File Format, and it shows you all the image information you can imagine (pun intended) - when, where, how, with what camera the photo was taken, etc.
Bear in mind that the metadata about the photo must be available for this to happen. In other words, your own photos are definitely readable. However most images from the internet probably won’t be.
Google Photos on the right; Amazon Photos on the left
Speaking of Exif, we can’t skip the app, which carries the same name. This one has to be one of the most comprehensive free apps for viewing image metadata.
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Yes, it has ads (which can be annoying), but unlike Metapho, it allows you to remove the metadata of an image. That’s useful, when you want to share a photo, but you don’t want someone to find out everything about it, if they wanted to do so.
You can copy the metadata, and share it with a few clicks. The image properties here are even more extensive than the ones on Metapho. We had to take over four screenshots just to be able to capture all the available data (most of which is pretty irrelevant to the average user). All in all, the app looks very modern. It also supports dark mode, which complements iOS even further. The ‘Pro’ version costs $9.99 / £9.99. It removes the ads, and lets you ‘edit multiple photos at once’. We think it’s not worth it, if you’ll be using the app only occasionally.
Conclusion
All in all, buying a ‘Pro’ iPhone (or any iPhone), and not being able to check the file size or resolution of your photo, is just unacceptable. All major photo apps on Android smartphones allow you to see your image metadata with just one tap.
We hope we were able to help you find the right app for your needs. We’ll have to wait and see if Apple will finally address this issue with the release of iOS 15.
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Martin, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, brings a unique blend of humor and insight to his work. His fascination with smartphones began with a Galaxy Young and evolved through a series of trades and upgrades, making him a self-proclaimed smartphone nerd. Martin's content often combines current analysis of market trends with historical references and future predictions. Whether it's a deep dive into technical issues or a first-person commentary on industry events, Martin's articles are designed to inform and engage. His critical perspective is driven by genuine curiosity and a desire to keep readers informed, not by any corporate sponsorship.
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