One common problem encountered after updating to iOS 16 is that photos stopped downloading in iMessage. This can be pretty annoying, especially for those who send photos to their contacts through the service. This has led many to ask things like “Why aren’t pictures sent to my iPhone not downloading?” and “Why aren’t images working on iPhone messages?” This guide will answer those questions and walk you through the various fixes for photos not downloading in iMessage after updating to iOS 16 and even earlier versions.
How to View Pictures on iMessage
You can normally view pictures sent to you via iMessage in the message thread itself. However, if the thread has been going on for quite some time, it could be pretty tedious to scroll through it to look for a particular picture. But there is a quicker way of viewing all the photos that were sent on that particular iMessage thread. See the steps on how to view pictures on iMessage below
Time needed: 1 minute.
Here’s how to view pictures on the iMessage app.
- Tap on the iMessage app to open it.
- Look for the Messages thread where you want to see the pictures sent to you.
- Tap on the person’s name or group chat name.
- Scroll down to see the latest pictures sent via iMessage.
- Tap See All to view all the pictures sent through that thread.
From here, you can tap on a particular picture, then tap the share icon to view several options that you can do with the picture. You can either send, share or save the photo to your Photos Library.
Ideally, pictures sent through iMessage can be easily viewed within the message thread. However, there may be times when the issue of pictures not downloading in iMessage might come up. If that happens to you, there are some troubleshooting tips that you can do to make it work.
Why Can’t I See Pictures on iMessage?
There are several reasons why pictures might not download in Messages. One of them could be that your iPhone is running low on storage and can’t accommodate the pictures. Another reason could be that the photos were accidentally deleted while you were clearing space on your device.
It’s also possible that the iMessage service is simply unavailable. Other reasons why pictures are not downloading in iMessage include iCloud settings errors, intermittent internet connections, and iOS update failure, among others.
How to Fix the Issue When Pictures Are Not Downloading in iMessage
Follow the troubleshooting tips below to fix the problem of pictures not downloading in iMessage.
Reload iMessage
When updating to the latest version of iOS, apps may need to be restarted to work properly. So, you should refresh iMessage by following the steps below.
- Go to Settings.
- Tap Messages > Send & Receive.
- Sign out of your Apple ID.
- After a few seconds, sign in to your Apple ID again.
If this method does not resolve the issue at hand, try the next tip.
Reset Network Settings
To fix the error of pictures not downloading in iMessage, you can try resetting your iPhone’s network settings.
- Go to Settings.
- Tap General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Tap Reset > Reset Network Settings.
- Enter your iPhone passcode.
- Tap Reset Network Settings to confirm.
- Go to Settings again.
- Tap Wi-Fi, then select your network and enter the password.
- Open iMessage to reload all its content, including pictures.
Clean Up Your iPhone’s Storage
A lack of storage space on your iPhone may also cause pictures not to load in iMessage. To fix this, you should delete apps and files that you no longer need.
Check Your iPhone’s IMessage Settings
One of the reasons why you can pictures are not downloading in iMessage is iMessage may be disabled. Follow the steps below to check on this.
- Go to Settings.
- Tap Messages, then toggle on iMessage.
Bonus Tip: Restoring Deleted Photos on Your iPhone
Another reason why pictures are not loading in iMessage is that they were already deleted from your iPhone, accidentally or otherwise. To make these pictures appear in iMessage again, you may need to restore your iPhone from an iCloud or iTunes backup.
A third option is to use a data recovery tool. This could restore deleted pictures but you do have to decide as soon as possible whether you are going to use such a tool or not.
Hopefully, the above-mentioned troubleshooting tips will resolve the issue of pictures not downloading in iMessage on your iPhone..
I was having a problem with messages not downloading on iMessages. The issue was solved by turning off Screen Time. Apparently there is a glitch that Apple is aware of. Fixed the problem right away.