Unable to Share Photos from iPhone? Troubleshoot with 8 Ways
Many iPhone users report receiving the "Unable to Share", "Error while preparing to share", and similar messages when they send photos through Message, WhatsApp, email, AirDrop, iCloud, Files, and more apps. It is easy to send photos from iPhone. However, you may still get iPhone can't share photos problems, such as the share button being greyed out, being unable to AirDrop photos, photos not sending via WhatsApp, and being unable to share edited pictures, among others. Want to know why and how to troubleshoot the unable to share photos from iPhone error.
Guide List
Why Can't I Send Pictures on My iPhone 8 Ways to Fix Unable to Share Photos from iPhone Alternative Way to Share Photos from and to Your iPhoneWhy Can't I Send Pictures on My iPhone
The full unable to share message contains "There was an error while preparing to share. Please try again later.". Here are possible reasons for those errors or no response when tapping the share button.
- • App or iOS glitches.
- • Poor internet connection.
- • Short of available storage space while syncing photos.
- • Incompatible iPhone HEIC image format.
- • The AirDrop restrictions (Set AirDrop to Everyone, not Contacts Only; receiving off).
- • Not sync iCloud photos correctly.
- • The low power mode stops from sharing photos from iPhone.
8 Ways to Fix Unable to Share Photos from iPhone
Many users have reviewed them as helpful for fixing an iPhone that won’t let you share or send photos. Just read and follow.
1. Force Restart iPhone
You can reboot your iPhone to effectively fix small glitches.
- 1. Press and release the "Volume Up" button.
- 2. Later, do the same with the iPhone "Volume Down" button.
- 3. Press and hold the "Side" button. Don't release it until the Apple logo appears.
2. Reset Network Settings
Switch to a stable Wi-Fi or cellular connection first. If you still get the message that there was an error while preparing to share, you can reset all network settings to the default.
- 1. Open the Settings app.
- 2. Tap the "General", "Reset", and "Reset Network Settings" buttons in order.
- 3. Confirm with "Reset Network Settings" in the pop-up.
3. Update to the Latest iOS Version
If you haven't updated iOS for a long time, this may cause the Photos app to be buggy or experiencing sharing glitches. As for third-party apps (such as WhatsApp), you need to update them too.
- 1. Open the iPhone Settings app.
- 2. Tap the "General" and "Software Update" buttons.
- 3. If there is an available update, you can tap the "Update Now" button.
- 4. Follow the on-screen steps to update iOS. And then you can check whether the problem of being unable to load or share photos has been fixed or not.
4. Restart the App
Force quit and then re-open the Photos (iCloud, WhatsApp, AirDrop, and more photo sharing apps) app. You can sign out and then sign in to this app. If the "unable to share, there was an error while preparing to share" problem still exists, move on to the following methods.
5. AirDrop Misconfigurations
First of all, turn on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on your iPhone. To fix the unable to share AirDrop error, you need to check whether you have set AirDrop to "Contacts Only". The recipient can't receive images if they are not a contact. Moreover, if you set "receiving Off", the photo Airdropping process will fail too.
6. Convert HEIC to JPG for Easy Sharing
The recipient's device or app doesn’t support the HEIC format. So if you fail to send HEIC images from an iPhone, you can convert HEIC to JPG or PNG for better compatibility.
7. Free Up Storage Space
The photo sharing process will freeze if your iPhone runs out of storage space. It is a good way to transfer photos from an iPhone to a computer for backup. Moreover, remove duplicated photos, large videos, unused apps, and other unwanted files to manage storage on iPhone.
8. Quick Tips for iMessage/WhatsApp/Email Not Sharing Photos
Can't share photos through iMessage: Open the Settings app, tap the "Messages" button. Make sure iMessage is activated.
Can’t email pictures: You can email attachments up to 20MB. So compress images or send photos through email separately.
WhatsApp not sending photos: Go to the Settings app. Tap the "WhatsApp" button and grant full access of "All Photos". Moreover, you can share one photo at a time instead of sending in bulk.
Alternative Way to Share Photos from and to Your iPhone
What if the unable to share photos from iPhone still exists? It is frustrating that photos stuck on uploading or sending. Most iPhone photo sharing issues are caused by unstable Internet connection, unsupported formats, and app crashes. If you want to get easy and repeatable fixes of iPhone photo sharing instead of complex workarounds, you can use AnyRec PhoneMover. This program can transfer photos/albums from iPhone to iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows flexibly.
Transfer hundreds of thousands of iPhone photos and albums to computer.
Delete duplicated pictures and add/delete/organize existing iPhone photos.
Convert HEIC to JPG/JPEG automatically.
Keep the original format, quality, metadata, and more details.
Secure Download
- 1. Open AnyRec PhoneMover. Connect your iPhone to PC with a USB cable.
- 2. Follow the "Connection Guide" to scan your iPhone successfully.
- 3. Click the "Photos" tab. Here you can preview, edit, and organize iPhone photos. At last, click the "Export to PC" button to share photos from iPhone to PC in seconds.
Conclusion
These are workable ways to fix iPhone not sending photos in different apps. You can restart iPhone, reset network settings, check app settings, and change photo formats to solve the problem. If you still unable to share photos from iPhone, you can use a third-party iPhone transfer, which is AnyRec PhoneMover. Free download the program and move iPhone photos to any mobile phone or Windows computer without restrictions.
Secure Download
