# Can't save photos from iOS app **URL:** \ **Category:** Bug Reports\ **Tags:** ios-classic-app\ **Created:** [February 7, 2021, 11:23pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/cant-save-photos-from-ios-app/20132 "2021-02-07T23:23:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zygy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/zygy/32/1134_2.png) [@zygy](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/zygy)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2021, 11:23pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/cant-save-photos-from-ios-app/20132/1 "2021-02-07T23:23:52Z")
**Platform** (Android, iOS, Website): iOS **App version number** , if a mobile app issue (shown under Settings or About): 3.1 **Browser** , if a website issue (Firefox, Chrome, etc) : N/A **URLs (aka web addresses) of any relevant observations or pages**: N/A **Screenshots of what you are seeing** (instructions for taking a screenshot on computers and mobile devices: [https://www.take-a-screenshot.org/](https://www.take-a-screenshot.org/)): N/A **Description of problem** (please provide a set of steps we can use to replicate the issue, and make as many as you need.): It isn’t possible to save a photo from one of your iNat observations to your phone. I mostly use the app to upload observations, but I constantly want to save photos from iNat to my phone so that I can use them for SMS or Instagram, etc. Step 1: Open iNat app and click on “Me” Step 2: Open an observation Step 3: Tap on one of the photos to open it Step 4: Tap and hold on the image Expected behavior: iOS should pop up options to “Share”, “Add to Photos”, or “Copy” (as it does when you use the website from your iPhone). Actual behavior: Nothing happens. ---
**Author:** ![bouteloua](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/bouteloua/32/1180_2.png) [@bouteloua](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/bouteloua)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2021, 11:40pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/cant-save-photos-from-ios-app/20132/2 "2021-02-07T23:40:38Z")
Has this been a feature of the iOS app in the past? I don’t think this has been designed into the app, so it wouldn’t be a bug. But I’m less familiar with iOS than Android (where it’s common for apps to lack this feature). ---
**Author:** ![earthknight](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/earthknight/32/32879_2.png) [@earthknight](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/earthknight)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2021, 11:52pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/cant-save-photos-from-ios-app/20132/3 "2021-02-07T23:52:26Z")
Yeah, I’ve never been able to save an image from the app using the tap and hold method. ---
**Author:** ![bouteloua](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/bouteloua/32/1180_2.png) [@bouteloua](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/bouteloua)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2021, 11:57pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/cant-save-photos-from-ios-app/20132/4 "2021-02-07T23:57:11Z")
As far as: > [@zygy](#): > > I constantly want to save photos from iNat to my phone so that I can use them for SMS or Instagram Is it not saving the photos you take with the app to your camera roll automatically? or are you referring to wanting local copies of photos from observations you uploaded on the iNat website? ---
**Author:** ![nomolosx](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/nomolosx/32/10885_2.png) [@nomolosx](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/nomolosx)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2021, 12:18am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/cant-save-photos-from-ios-app/20132/5 "2021-02-08T00:18:51Z")
yeah I don’t believe this is a function of the app ---
**Author:** ![ahospers](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/ahospers/32/1483_2.png) [@ahospers](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/ahospers)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2021, 12:21am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/cant-save-photos-from-ios-app/20132/6 "2021-02-08T00:21:15Z")
Use the upload button in the top right corner to save. It is possible by using the share button to whatapp, teams, outlook, Airdrop, Berichten, SMS, email. And beneath a kind of copy. But this behavior is not present in Safari, en whateb. ---
**Author:** ![zygy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/zygy/32/1134_2.png) [@zygy](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/zygy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2021, 1:40am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/cant-save-photos-from-ios-app/20132/7 "2021-02-08T01:40:47Z")
> It is possible by using the share button to whatapp, teams, outlook, Airdrop, Berichten, SMS, email. > And beneath a kind of copy That shares the observation, not the photo. ---
**Author:** ![zygy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/zygy/32/1134_2.png) [@zygy](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/zygy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2021, 1:45am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/cant-save-photos-from-ios-app/20132/8 "2021-02-08T01:45:48Z")
> [@bouteloua](#): > > Has this been a feature of the iOS app in the past? I don’t think this has been designed into the app, so it wouldn’t be a bug. But I’m less familiar with iOS than Android (where it’s common for apps to lack this feature). Not that I know of, but it’s pretty standard on iOS for you to be able to save images you are viewing to your Photos app. Should I move this to Feature Requests? ---
**Author:** ![bouteloua](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/bouteloua/32/1180_2.png) [@bouteloua](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/bouteloua)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2021, 1:51am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/cant-save-photos-from-ios-app/20132/9 "2021-02-08T01:51:28Z")
Sure, you can submit feature requests at the top right of this page: [https://forum.inaturalist.org/c/feature-requests/16](https://forum.inaturalist.org/c/feature-requests/16) It would be good to know > [@bouteloua](#): > > Is it not saving the photos you take with the app to your camera roll automatically? since I believe that would be a bug. ---
**Author:** ![teellbee](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/teellbee/32/15498_2.png) [@teellbee](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/teellbee)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2021, 7:42am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/cant-save-photos-from-ios-app/20132/10 "2021-02-08T07:42:18Z")
What about taking a screenshot of the photo you want to use elsewhere? It may not be as high a resolution as the original due to downsampling, but may still be okay for sharing online. ---
**Author:** ![zygy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/zygy/32/1134_2.png) [@zygy](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/zygy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2021, 1:03pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/cant-save-photos-from-ios-app/20132/11 "2021-02-08T13:03:11Z")
> What about taking a screenshot of the photo you want to use elsewhere? > > It may not be as high a resolution as the original due to downsampling, but may still be okay for sharing online. That’s what I usually do currently. ---
**Author:** ![bouteloua](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/bouteloua/32/1180_2.png) [@bouteloua](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/bouteloua)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2021, 3:44pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/cant-save-photos-from-ios-app/20132/12 "2021-02-08T15:44:52Z")
Thanks! Request is live here: [https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/allow-saving-photos-from-ios-app/20148](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/allow-saving-photos-from-ios-app/20148) ---
**Author:** ![bouteloua](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/bouteloua/32/1180_2.png) [@bouteloua](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/bouteloua)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2021, 3:44pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/cant-save-photos-from-ios-app/20132/13 "2021-02-08T15:44:56Z")
see associated feature request: [https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/allow-saving-photos-from-ios-app/20148](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/allow-saving-photos-from-ios-app/20148)