iPhone Photos Not Loading? 13 Ways To Fix It (Solved)

Timothy Mark
Timothy Mark - Writer & Editor
25 Min Read

The iPhone, this is the best iPhone, said Tim Cook. Well, nothing is without errors and glitches. If you have been using the photo management app on your iPhone, Photos, then suddenly one morning the photos not loading on your iphone.

It’s frustrating and may lead to a series of heartbreak. Once you see that your iPhone Photos are not loading, there are things you can do to fix it

If you want to see your photos again on the app you will have to fix photos on the iPhone not loading, use our step-by-step guide to fix the problem.

If your iPhone doesn’t load the photos and allows you to view photos, there are plenty of different reasons why this happens.

In this guide, you will learn how to fix the iPhone photos not loading, and why the photos on iPhone not loading. So here is how to resolve the photos not loading on the iPhone problem.

ALSO READ: Top 12 Ways To Fix AirPods Connecting While In Case

Why Are My Photos Not Loading On My iPhone

If you want to know why do my iPhone photos not load? We got you, different reasons can affect this.

And one of the major causes of the problem is when you turn on the optimized iPhone storage feature.

This feature allows you to save storage space by reducing the photos.

If this happens you will know that you have low memory.

Here are the reasons why photos did not load on iPhone.

1. Poor Internet Connection

If you have any problem with your iPhone, the first thing that you should check is if your internet connection is strong.

The images on your Photos app that you have saved are displayed from iCloud and if you have a poor internet connection, the photo will not be able to load properly.

Before you do anything you should check your internet if it’s stable. You can go check with other apps or use the browser.

If you don’t have a strong internet connection and you are viewing photos on the Photos from iCloud.

The image may be blurry and you won’t see it early, and if the network is that bad the photos will not be able to load from iCloud.

2. The Optimize Storage Option Is Enabled

If you are using the optimize storage option on your Apple devices, you may experience this kind of issue.

And it is also one of the major causes photos are not loading on iPhone. This is the same reason why your videos are not loading on your device.

If you have this feature turned on, your image will be blurry or will not be able to load from iCloud.

You will be able to see the thumbnail and when you try to view it, it won’t load.

The good side of this feature is that it allowed you to save storage space on your device.

That is why most users used it in the first place by saving your original in iCloud and leaving you the compressed version.

3. Not Having Enough Memory

If you don’t have enough storage space, your photos will be struggling to load and this may lead to the images blurring or not even loading at all.

Some images end up having an exclamation mark, well we have seen enough.

That’s why you should always have extra storage space on your device, first step of saving memory is: don’t save unnecessary files, photos, videos, and all that.

Once you are finished with it, you can delete these files.

If iPhone memory is full, you will not be able to load video. And this may also cause the feature to work by optimizing the Photos storage space.

4. There May A Bug

You may never know, there may be a bug on your iPhone or iPad that is causing your photos not to load.

This is hardly the case, but things happen. So if you are using a version with a bug all you have to do to get the bug out is to update your iPhone.

You can also try other others like soft or force restarting your iPhone. Many users claim this solution helps fix the problem and it can work on your device too.

ALSO READ: Why Is My iPhone Charger Hot? See How To Fix It

What Is The Exclamation Mark In Camera Roll

The exclamation mark at the right end of the corner of your screen in a photo that is a circle with an exclamation point indicates that: the original image file needs downloading from iCloud.

If you are not connected to the internet, the picture will not be able to load.

If you see the exclamation ❗ mark on a photo, it means that you have a network issue that is restricting your connection.

This occurs when you try to access the full-size version of the photo, which is on iCloud.

But you can fix this problem by resetting your network settings, once you do that, connect to a Wi-Fi or use your cellular network.

The issue is fixed. And make sure you turned off optimization so that the original image will be stored on your local device.

ALSO READ: 16 Ways To Fix Videos Not Playing on iPhone

How To Fix Photos Not Loading On iPhone

There are different ways for you to fix your photos not loading on your iPhone, and the most fix that has worked for users is to turn on “Download and Keep Originals” rather than “Optimize iPhone Storage.”

You can Soft or force restart your iPhone, and also try resetting your network settings.

Fix 1: Internet Connection Should Be Stable

The first thing you should do when you are experiencing this kind of issue on your iPhone is to check your network connection.

We have said these previously, there is no way the photo will even load in the first place if there is a bad connection.

Go to other apps on your device, and check if it’s loading properly, if It’s, it means your connection is good.

You can also use your web browser to check. In most areas network services are bad.

If you have a Router use one, if you are using public Wi-Fi, change it. Or better still you can use a MiFi.

Fix 2: Free Up Your iPhone Storage Space

If you are having low storage space on your iPhone, the images won’t be able to load properly.

And even if it does it may appear blurry, but this is not always the case. But you choose to take caution, so always clear what you are done for.

If you don’t use a file anyone or watch a video or anything taking up your storage space you should consider deleting it.

Again, don’t save unnecessary files, photos, videos, and all that. Once you are finished with it, you can save it in iCloud.

Delete Apps

Offloading an app allows you to delete the app but the data will still be available on your local storage.

The offload deletes the app from your device and when you download the app again it will be as if you did nothing.

To offload apps, go to your iPhone Settings app, then tap on General and click on iPhone Storage, then scroll down and tap on Offload App. Tap on the app, and offload it.

Fix 3: Use Download And Keep Original Instead Of Optimizing Storage

Many people who use the optimize feature want to save some storage.

When you use the optimize feature, the original photos are stored on iCloud, where the compressed version is saved on your phone storage.

When the feature is used, all your photos are uploaded to iCloud automatically when it’s connected to a network.

So when you want to view photos from your Photos app, your iPhone will load the contents from iCloud.

And if there is a weak connection, the Photos app will not load the image, and this may make the picture blurry.

If you use the Download and Keep Original instead of the Optimize iPhone storage.

The original photo will be available on your phone and you don’t have to use your network to load up images from iCloud. And there will be no compressed version.

To turn on Download and Keep Original instead of Optimize iPhone Storage:

Go to Settings and click on Photos, then tap on Download and Keep Originals.

After you have changed the settings, wait for iCloud to restore your original photos to your phone.

This can take a few minutes to restore your photos. After the original pictures load back you will be able to view them without your internet connection.

Fix 4: Use The iCloud Website

If you are trying to view the image, and you haven’t had any success with your to load photos, you can try the iCloud web, and view the pictures on your account.

It doesn’t matter whether you use your iPhone or another device, the site will still open.

Open your web browser on your device and go to the iCloud website, log in with your Apple ID that you have already used to sign in on your iPhone.

Tap on the Photos section and you will see all the images saved on iCloud, download the picture and you can send it to your device.

Once you send the photo to your iPhone, you will be able to view it without any internet connection.

Fix 5: Disabled Low Data Mode

If you are using low data mode on your iPhone it may limit how data is transferred between the Photos app and the iCloud server.

With this mode, your pictures will not be able to load properly and even if it does they may be blurry.

This affects how the photos are viewed on the app, if you want to fix the photos not loading, and the blurry problem you will have to turn off Data Saver mode.

To disable Low Data mode on your phone, go to your iPhone or iPad Settings, tap on Mobile Data, tap on Mobile Data Options again, and then you will see the low data mode options, toggle it off.

Fix 6: The Convert Photo Into iPhone Compatible Format

If you have received photos from your friend via email or through social media, or you downloaded one through the Telegram app.

And you are trying to view these images but it won’t load, it may be that the file format isn’t supported by iPhone.

To be able to load the image you will need to convert the pictures to a compatible format, you can use an online tool to do this.

Fix 7: Check And Repair Corrupt Photo

If your photos are not loading on your device, there may be a high chance that it is corrupted.

This happens when you download a photo from a website, receive it by email, or sent by a friend through social media.

If you want to view the corrupted pictures again, you will need to repair the image using photo repair software.

This also applies applicable if your videos are not loading on your iPhone.

Fix 8: Reset Network Settings

If you still have the issue, you can reset your network settings on your device.

This helps fix issues on your phone. Your Bluetooth settings, Wi-Fi settings, and cellular settings will be reset.

Resetting the network settings may help you fix the photos not loading problems that are causing the issues.

To reset your network setting on an iPhone, go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.

Once you have reset your network settings, you can check if you can view the photo.

Fix 9: Force Close The Photos App And Re-open

Since photos are not loading in the Photos app and that’s where the problem is arising from.

Then force closing the Photos app might get rid of the issue and cause the content to start loading up.

To force close the Photos app, you need to open the multitasking view by swiping up from the bottom of your screen, then closing the app by swiping the Photos app up.

Fix 10: Restart Your iPhone

Restarting your iPhone will refresh your device and clear all the apps running.

If there’s any little bug that doesn’t want the photos to load, you can clear it by just restarting your device.

Fix 11: Soft Or Force Restart Your iPhone

For some users, soft resetting their device help fix the issue, when you soft reset your device you can clear out some problems. If you don’t know how you can follow this guide.

Force restarting your iPhone shut down the hardware and software.

This could solve your problem since several users have been using it to get bugs out of their devices.

Fix 12: Update Your iOS Version

If you have been trying out different methods to fix photos not loading and still have no results, you’ll have to update your iPhone version to the latest.

This will help remove bugs and glitches from your iPhone and let things work more smoothly.

This solution works for some users, you should try it too.

To update your iPhone to the latest version, go to your Settings app, and tap on General > Software Update > Download and Install if there’s a new update available.

Fix 13: Factory Reset Your iPhone

If the above options are not working in making your photos load, you can try resetting your iPhone to factory settings.

Before factory resetting your device, make sure your iPhone data is backup.

Go to your iPhone Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.

You will be prompted to backup your phone data, if you haven’t tap on Back Up Then Erase, if not skip and Erase.

Enter your device passcode to confirm the factory reset, then tap Ok.

After your device restarts, follow the setup prompts and choose to recover data from your computer (iTunes backup) or iCloud. Once you set up your device, check to see if the photos are now loading.

ALSO READ: 9 Easy Fix For “Update Apple Id Settings” On iPhone And iPad

Why Are My Photos Blurry On My iPhone Camera Roll?

If your photos are not loading, or it’s loading and it gets blurred, it is typically the same thing, but at least, the image load.

This can be caused by the same reason why your photos are not loading. And for the second reason since the image loads.

If your photos are blurry it means that you have enabled the optimized storage options.

As we have said before this helps you lower the quality of your image, saved the original on the cloud, and saved storage space for you.

So anytime you are trying to load photos, you are loading them from iCloud.

How To Fix Blurry Photos In Camera Roll

If you want to fix your blurry photos in the camera roll you can use the fix above.

If you have a poor internet connection, you have to change it to a stable one to fix the problem.

To load the photo properly. Having a low memory, clear out some space to have photos load properly.

If you have enabled the Optimize iPhone storage on your device, this will cause the photo not to load when you have a bad connection.

So you will have to turn it off and enable Download and Keep Originals.

This feature saved your photos on iCloud and also keeps the original version on your local storage.

ALSO READ: How To Know If An Iphone Is Refurbished, New, Or A Replacement

Fix: Images Not Loading In Other Apps

If your images are not loading in other apps, you can also try this solution, or use the guides from above.

But here is the main thing that you should consider or do when your photos are not loading on your iPhone.

Fix 1: Is The Photo Still Available?

If you receive the image from a friend on social media like WhatsApp, and you are not able to view the photo asked the person if they have already deleted the picture from their device.

Fix 2: Force Quit And Reopen The App

Restarting the app so that you can view photos on this alone can help you fix the problem.

To force close and reopen the app swipe up from the bottom of your screen if you are using iPhone X and newer, and double press the Home button for iPhone 8 and earlier.

Then swipe the app up to close it from the App switcher screen. Then wait for a few seconds or a minute and open the app again.

Fix 3: Update The App/ Or Uninstall And Reinstall

If you are still having trouble with the application, you can try updating the app from the Apple App Store.

This may be WhatsApp, Facebook, or other apps that you can download photos from.

You can remove the app from your phone, and then reinstall them from the App Store.

Conclusion

The need for setting up a phone that works properly is good, when choosing to keep your photos online and you don’t have a good internet connection, you can select the second option “Download and Keep Originals.”

If your network is great and you don’t have enough space you can use the Optimize storage options.

But once this becomes a problem, you can always switch to Download and Keep Originals to save your photos on your device’s local storage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are my Photos not loading on iPhone?

There are three major reasons why your photos are not loading: If you have enabled the Optimize storage for iPhone, if you have a poor internet connection, and your phone storage is low. If you have between one of these, facts are the problems, and you need to fix them for you to be able to view photos again.

How do I get my iPhone Photos to load?

To get your photos to load again, you will have to enable Download and Keep Originals instead of Optimize iPhone storage. This will keep your original photos on your local storage, and you will not need a data connection to see them.

How do you fix “unable to load photo” on an iPhone?

If you are seeing unable to load photos on your device, it can be caused by different things, and to fix it you can change the file format, repair the image, use Download and Keep Originals, etc.

Why is my iPhone not backing up my photos?

If your iPhone is not backing up the photos on your device this could mean that you don’t have a strong connection, or you have the settings to Wi-Fi only. You can allow your photos to back up with both Wi-Fi and cellular data.

Why does my iPhone show exclamation mark

The exclamation mark means that you have a bad connection, and the photo couldn’t load from iCloud. This is because of the Optimize iPhone storage. Once you change the settings to Download and Keep Originals and reset your network settings, you will be able to see photos on your iPhone again.

Share This Article
By Timothy Mark Writer & Editor
Follow:
As a seasoned content writer with 4+ years of experience in consumer technology, Timothy has been a dedicated author and editor at Techvocast.com since its inception. Specializing in addressing user concerns, his articles offer effective solutions for Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac-related issues. Timothy's expertise also extends to crafting content about social media and various applications. Through his daily articles, he consistently aids users in overcoming their technology challenges.
Leave a comment
Techvocast