Bug 207088 – Uploading photos from iOS photo library strips EXIF data

• Status: RESOLVED
• Resolution: CONFIGURATION CHANGED
• Component: WebKit Misc.

[Henry]

In earlier versions of iOS, photos uploaded via Safari retained their EXIF data. In iOS 13, all EXIF data appears to be stripped out.

There does not seem to be any settings or options that allow the EXIF metadata to be included in the uploaded file - even if a user chooses to upload the 'Actual Size' image. Without EXIF data, it is impossible for a user to have a proper backup of their photo. It is also impossible for web apps to do even the most basic photo management, such as sorting uploaded photos by the date they were taken. 

Stripping out EXIF data also leads to the ridiculous situation where photos no longer have the correct orientation (https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=203482). 

Currently, for a user to upload an iPhone photo that includes EXIF data, they need to first transfer it to a computer via AirDrop or ImageCapture, and then upload it via a desktop web browser. 

If EXIF data is being deliberately stripped out for privacy purposes, it seems like there could easily be an option to include this data if the user wants to. Users are already able to select the size of the file to upload ('Large', 'Medium', 'Small' or 'Actual Size'), and this screen seems like the perfect place to give the user an informed choice about including EXIF data.

[Radar WebKit Bug Importer]

<rdar://problem/59091354>

[Henry]

Is this a WebKit problem or a Safari problem?

[Henry]

Created attachment 426214 [details]
AirDrop settings to include EXIF data

[Henry]

Comment on attachment 426214 [details]
AirDrop settings to include EXIF data

This is still a huge problem for us. Users are trying to upload their photos to our hosting & backup service, but under the current setup, it's very problematic. 

Users are choosing to upload photos at 'Actual Size', but are disappointed to find that the EXIF data has been removed, and their filenames are replaced with useless UUIDs. This leads to many problems for the users, and for us:

1. Users have no way to sort their photos, because there are no dates, and no filenames.
2. Users can't reconcile or find photos, because the filenames are not the same as the ones shown in Apple Photos or in Finder.
3. Users don't have a true backup of their photos, because lots of important data has been stripped out.
4. Duplicate detection is not possible because the filenames have been replaced with UUIDs.

At the moment we recommend users don't upload via an iOS device, but instead transfer their photos to a computer (via AirDrop or ImageCapture), and then upload the files via a desktop browser. Obviously, this is a horribly inconvenient workaround. It would be much better is users could upload their iPhone photos direct from their iPhone.

I assume this is done for privacy reasons. However, I feel there should be an option for users to include this data when they want to. AirDrop already features a similar setting, which allows users to 'Include All Photo Data' (see attachment). I believe Safari on iOS should have a similar option. Safari already has an option that allows you to select the image size (Small, Medium, Large, Actual Size), so adding a setting in here would make sense. A nice way might be just to add another option into the size list, something like 'Original File', with an explanation that this option includes the filename and meta data.

It would also be good if this setting is 'remembered' for each origin or Home Screen Web App, so that users who frequently use the site are not having to change the setting every time they upload another batch of files.

[Henry]

Hi, just wanted to know if anyone at WebKit or Apple had any insight into this issue? I would be happy to work up designs for some of the possible solutions I've  proposed in previous posts if that helps, but I obviously don't want to waste my time if there is some internal policy that states EXIF data can only be shared via native apps. 

Just to reiterate my previous posts - I think there should be an option (opt-in) that allows users to include EXIF data when they upload photos from iOS devices. The many benefits of this feature, and possible design solutions are described in previous posts.

[Aditya Keerthi]

(In reply to Henry from comment #6)
> Hi, just wanted to know if anyone at WebKit or Apple had any insight into
> this issue? I would be happy to work up designs for some of the possible
> solutions I've  proposed in previous posts if that helps, but I obviously
> don't want to waste my time if there is some internal policy that states
> EXIF data can only be shared via native apps. 
> 
> Just to reiterate my previous posts - I think there should be an option
> (opt-in) that allows users to include EXIF data when they upload photos from
> iOS devices. The many benefits of this feature, and possible design
> solutions are described in previous posts.

Hi Henry,

I am looking into this issue.

Can you confirm that you're still seeing all EXIF data stripped out on iOS 14.5 (or later)?

I'm seeing location/date/model data being removed, but the orientation data is preserved.

[Henry]

Hi Aditya, thanks for looking into this.

Please note there are 2 separate issues. There is the orientation bug (#203482), and then there is the general EXIF and filename stripping issue, which is this bug (#207088). 

Regarding orientation, I can confirm that the problem still exists in 14.5.1. If you select 'Actual Size' for the upload, then the orientation EXIF is retained. If you select any other size (e.g. Small, Medium or Large), then the orientation information is stripped out. Please see my comment from last year https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=203482#c9

Regardless of which size photo you choose to upload, all other EXIF data (Date, Location, Camera Settings, etc) is stripped out. It is my hope that an option can be added to include this data, as well as the filename.

[Henry]

Hi Aditya,

Just wondering if you can provide any update on this issue? Any information you can give would be helpful for our product development decisions.

Thanks

+1 for having access to the EXIF data.

[Brent Fulgham]

This is actually:
rdar://33646508

[Henry]

Thanks Brent, but I can't access rdar links. Is there any way to keep updated on this? Or at least have some indication of when / if this might be fixed?

[Brent Fulgham]

(In reply to Henry from comment #12)
> Thanks Brent, but I can't access rdar links. Is there any way to keep
> updated on this? Or at least have some indication of when / if this might be
> fixed?

We hope to have more information about this soon, once we've coordinated with another team involved in the upload flow.

[Henry]

Great thanks Brent. If there's anything I can do help (testing, feedback, more detailed uses cases, etc), please let me know.

I just want to add that EXIF data is not removed for photos taken with "Settings > Camera > Formats > Most Compatible".

It is also not removed on macOS/Safari for any photos selected from Media > Photos (from the "Choose Files to Upload" dialog's sidebar).

[My real name]

My 100% reproducible case for removed EXIF data after image upload with webkit on iOS 13 - 15.4 (current stable) is:

1. take image with `Settings > Camera > Formats > Most Compatible` selected
2. duplicate image so it can be compared later
3. in iOS photos app verify image has location data and timestamp
4. edit image e.g. tap top right pen icon and draw anything on the image, confirm with `done`
5. upload image to https://upload.disroot.org/
6. download image

Currently

Downloaded image has no location and timestamp of download

Expected

Don't remove EXIF data on upload.

[Tino]

I'm keen to see this change as well! For the same reasons Henry mentions. It is really annoying that you now can't add photos to an album on the web, as there is no information and thus things are in random order and untracable.

Any timeline on when we can expect this?

So, with <input accept="image/jpeg" /> you can select HEIC files, which are automatically converted to JPEG. The result JPEG is missing the EXIF data on iOS, but on MacOS the EXIF is preserved. Is this intentional?

[Henry]

Hi Martin. When I first opened this bug (almost 3 years ago) I thought that the removal of EXIF data might be intentional (privacy maybe?) but now I’m almost certain that isn’t the case. This is simply a bug. The reason I am confident that it is a bug is because of the following:

There are 3 image formats for photos on iOS: JPG, HEIC, and RAW. When you upload photos in Safari you can select the size of the photo that is uploaded (Small, Medium, Large, Actual Size). I have tried every combination of these formats and sizes, and only in one case is the EXIF stripped - that is when HEIC files are uploaded at Actual Size. 

If Apple were intentionally stripping out EXIF data, then they are doing an awful job. It seems much more likely that this is just a bug. 

What makes this so painfully annoying is that by default iOS stores photos in HEIC, and by default it uploads them using Actual Size. This means that this bug affects basically everyone.

It would be nice to hear if there is any progress being made on this bug.

It seems like this has finally been fixed with the latest IOS versions? At least with 16.4.1 and 16.5, I have tested High Efficiency and Most Compatible captures and both retain EXIF data now.

Now the location data is removed for both High Efficiency and Most Compatible. Previously it was only for Most Compatible :(

* previously gps location was available for Most Compatible, not High Efficiency.

I have only used exif data to retrieve the timestamp of when photos were taken, so I can't say I've noticed missing location info (though I was always under the impression that Apple would strip GPS data out as a safety feature)

[Henry]

Okay, WOW... this is fantastic! I'm so happy I'm not even going to grumble (much) about the 3+ years it took to fix this. Everything seems to work as expected now (testing on iPhone 16.4.1). 

I tested 3 formats (RAW/DNG, HEIC, JPG) at 2 different size settings (Actual size and Large). Here are my notes from the tests:

• EXIF data is always retained (camera settings and timestamps)!!!
• Filenames are always retained!!!
• Location data is always stripped out
• HEIC files are converted to JPG before uploading
• RAW files are uploaded as DNG

This is perfect and exactly how it should have always worked. I can finally recommend that users actually upload photos directly from their iPhones. 

(It would be nice to have an option to include location data, but I understand why it isn't included by default.)

A huge thank you to whoever fixed this. I'm so glad the filename issue was fixed as well as the EXIF data.

[Aditya Keerthi]

In addition to the changes in iOS 16.4, the picker in iOS 17 will give the user an option to include location data.

See: https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2023/10107/?time=688

tested in apple store on iphone 14 , ios 17 settings privacy location on , location privs OK for camera and for safari

used html form on mutiny.cz/exifr in order to test whether EXIF / GPS survive the "picker" or chooser and the upload...

RESULTS -

when selected from the photoroll, embedded metadata WILL be there after upload on server side

BUT

onSelection of the camera , then take NEW photo, then OK then upload... 

same old story, safari REMOVES THE METADATA 

i trusted that this time they get it ... But webapp widgets used to grab the camera && upload a new photo still have the old bug. 

Workaround of getting the photo into the photoroll before selecting it from the roll will work. IMO its not the greatest UX.