Why can't I receive pictures on my iPhone? How to fix the issue (2024)

Photos are a big part of the iPhone experience, including taking them, sharing them, and receiving them. This might include images someone shares with you from an event, or even funny memes. Sometimes, however, you might experience issues receiving them and feel left out of the conversation. What’s the problem? There could be a number of reasons.

Top reasons why you might not be receiving pictures on iPhone

There are some troubleshooting steps you can take to correct this issue depending on if you’re using iMessages, text messages (MMS), or WhatsApp. But first, go through this checklist to ensure that one of these problems isn’t the culprit.

Check your Internet connection

Look at the top, right corner of your iPhone to see the Wi-Fi symbol and/or cellular network connectivity. How many bars, if any, do you have? If the connection is weak, larger photos, videos, and other content might not go through. The sending process might time out before the image can be sent, or the images could be on their way to you but at a snail’s pace. If Wi-Fi connection is the issue, try turning off Wi-Fi and using the stronger cellular connection. If it’s the cellular connection that’s the issue, wait until you’re nearby an available (and fast) Wi-Fi network and connect to that. A seemingly obvious step you might miss: make sure you didn’t accidentally put your phone in airplane mode (or forget to take it off airplane mode).

Update your software

If your iPhone isn’t updated to the latest software, there could be an iOS bug or issue with the app you’re using that was rectified with the update. Verify that your iPhone software is up-to-date. If it isn’t, run the update then ask the person to try sending the photo again. If you are using the latest version and you’re trying to receive a photo from a third-party app, try uninstalling the app (don’t worry, you won’t lose your data), then re-installing it. Finally, do a hard restart on your iPhone and see if that corrects the problem.

How much storage do you have?

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If your iPhone is full or near full, you might not be able to receive new photos because there isn’t room for them to download. Do a clean-up of your iPhone, removing apps you don’t use, duplicate or unnecessary photos and videos, and files so you can free up storage space. Don’t forget to check your video streaming apps and delete downloaded content that might be sitting there taking up room.

Check messaging app permissions

If you’re using a messaging app, check permissions in settings for that app to make sure you don’t have it set such that you cannot receive photos and videos. You may also have it set to only accept photos or videos when on an active Wi-Fi connection to conserve cellular data. If this is the case and you’re not on Wi-Fi, this could be why the photos aren’t coming through.

It might be the other person (or your contact list)

The problem might not have anything to do with you at all. The person on the other end might be experiencing issues with their connectivity, including a slow or weak signal. In this case, it’s the photo that isn’t sending and not your phone that isn’t receiving it. Ask them to try to send the photo to someone else. If it’s a group conversation and no one is receiving the photo, chances are it’s the sender’s issue and not yours. It’s also possible that the person isn’t saved in your contact list. While this shouldn’t prevent an iMessage from going through, if you have blocked messages from unknown senders or blocked from No Caller ID, for example, and the phone doesn’t recognize the person, this could prevent a photo from coming through.

Cross-platform messaging issues

It might be that the person is using an Android device and trying to send a photo through a messaging app like Google Messages. It could be a cross-platform compatibility issue. If this is the case, try a different messaging app like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or Signal and see if that works.

Why can’t I receive pictures on my iPhone?

If you have gone through these steps and you’re still experiencing issues, there are some additional troubleshooting steps for the most common types of message sending platforms for iPhone users: text messaging, iMessages, and WhatsApp.

How to fix not receiving photos via text message

Text messages or SMS are the way text-based messages come through to your phone from someone using a different platform, like Android. MMS is the variation that includes photos and videos.

1. Go to Settings on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and select Messages.
3. Scroll down to MMS messaging and make sure it’s turned on. If not, turn it on by tapping the slider to the right so it turns green. If it’s already on, try toggling it off (tapping the slider to the left so it turns grey) then on again.

   

   

   

How to fix not receiving photos via iMessages

iMessages are those blue bubbles that appear when you talk back and forth with someone else using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer. It’s the inter-messing option for Apple device users that sends text-based messages as well as photos and videos instantly.

1. Go to Settings on your iPhone.
2. Select to Cellular.
3. Select Cellular Data Options.
4. Make sure it’s on and you aren’t in low data mode or you aren’t traveling and have Data Roaming turned off.

   

   

   

   

5. Go back to Settings.
6. Select Messages.
7. Verify that iMessage is turned on, with the slider to the right and turned green. If it’s off, turn it on by tapping the slider on the right. If it’s on, toggle it off and on again to see if this resets things.

   

   

   

How to fix not receiving photos via WhatsApp

As the most popular cross-platform messaging platform, WhatsApp allows you to chat with others on any mobile platform, including sending text messages as well as photos and videos. The app must be downloaded to your device. The first thing to do is verify that you have the latest version of the app. From there, follow these steps.

1. Open the WhatsApp app.
2. Select the Settings tab at the bottom, right.
3. Select Storage and data.

   

   

   

4. Under Media Auto-Download, review the settings. They might say Wi-Fi and cellular or Wi-Fi. If it says Wi-Fi under photos (or Never), and you’re not on an active Wi-Fi network, photos being sent to you won’t go through until you are connected to Wi-Fi. The same goes for audio and video files as well, along with documents. This is useful so you aren't using up cellular data, but if you have an ample plan and don't want the disruption, you can choose Wi-Fi and cellular.

   

   

Your last resort

As a last resort if the problem persists and you can confirm that none of these fixes work (and that the issue is not on the other person’s end), reset your phone’s network settings. If this still doesn’t help, contact your carrier to see if there are any restrictions using the network. They can also help walk you through the issue relating to network settings or your plan if that is what is causing the problem. You can also visit an Apple Store to meet with a Genius Bar expert if it’s still not working and they can help you. But as long as you follow the above steps on any of the latest iPhones, chances are that one of them will fix the issue before it comes to this.