# iPhone Photo Metadata: Everything You Can Find and How to Edit It > What metadata iPhones write into every photo, how to view it, how to edit the date or GPS, and how to strip it before sharing. Covers iOS 15 to iOS 19. *Published: 2026-05-26* · *9 min read* Canonical URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/iphone-photo-metadata-complete-guide **Quick answer:** Every iPhone photo carries EXIF metadata: capture date and time, GPS coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude), camera model, lens, aperture, shutter, ISO, and (on Live Photos and HDR shots) extra technical tags. To see it on iPhone, open the photo in Photos and tap the **(i)** info icon. For full metadata including every tag, drop the photo into our free [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer); nothing uploads. To edit a wrong date or missing GPS, use the [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor). To strip everything before sharing publicly, use the [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover). iPhones write a lot more into every photo than most owners realize. Date and time, GPS coordinates, the exact camera lens used, the orientation, the color profile, and (on newer models) information about HDR, depth, and motion. This guide walks through everything that's in there, where to find it, how to change it when it's wrong, and how to strip it when privacy matters. ## What metadata an iPhone writes into every photo Every photo your iPhone saves carries an EXIF block. On a typical photo from iPhone 14 and later, the block includes around 60 to 100 tags. The most important ones: **Time and date** - **DateTimeOriginal**: when you tapped the shutter (the field most apps treat as "when the photo was taken") - **CreateDate**: when the file was written to storage (usually identical) - **ModifyDate**: when the file was last edited (changes if you edit in Photos) - Time zone information (added in iOS 13+) **Location (when Location Services is on for Camera)** - **GPSLatitude**, **GPSLongitude**: where you took the photo - **GPSAltitude**: how high above sea level - **GPSSpeed**: if you were moving when you took it - **GPSDateStamp** / **GPSTimeStamp**: the satellite-derived time of the GPS reading (independent of phone clock) - **GPSImgDirection**: which direction the camera was pointing (compass heading) **Camera and lens (the iPhone-specific bits)** - **Make**: *Apple* - **Model**: e.g. *iPhone 17 Pro Max* - **LensMake**: *Apple* - **LensModel**: e.g. *iPhone 17 Pro Max back triple camera 6.5mm f/1.8* - **Software**: the iOS version that took the photo (useful for forensic dating) **Exposure settings** - Aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focal length, flash on/off, white balance, metering mode **iPhone-specific extras** - **HDR**: was the shot taken with HDR processing - **Apple maker note block**: proprietary tags Apple writes (run state, scene detection results, content score) - For Live Photos: a separate identifier linking the still image to its 3-second video clip - For Portrait mode: depth map data and focal point - For ProRAW: extra metadata for the RAW pipeline Our [EXIF tag reference](/photo-guides/exif-tag-reference) lists every common tag with what it means. For background on what EXIF is in general, see our explainer: [what is EXIF data?](/photo-guides/what-is-exif-data) ## How to view metadata on the iPhone itself iPhone gives you a quick-look view of the most useful EXIF without leaving Photos: 1. Open the photo in *Photos*. 2. Swipe up on the photo, or tap the **(i)** info icon at the bottom of the screen. 3. You'll see: - Date and time - Location on a small map (if GPS was on) - Camera model and lens - File size and dimensions - Some exposure info (focal length, f-stop, ISO) This view was added in iOS 15 and improved through iOS 19. It's enough for casual checks. For the full EXIF block including IPTC, XMP, and every Apple maker note tag, you need a real EXIF viewer. ## How to view full metadata (every tag) The iPhone's built-in info panel hides most of the EXIF block. To see every tag, copyright fields, XMP, IPTC, and pro-grade detail: 1. **In a browser**: AirDrop the photo to a Mac or open it on iCloud.com from any computer, then drop it into our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer). The viewer parses the file in your browser (nothing uploads) and shows date, time, GPS with a map pin and reverse-geocoded address, camera, lens, exposure, IPTC, and XMP in clean tables. 2. **On macOS**: Open in *Preview* → *Tools → Show Inspector* (⌘ ⌥ I), then click the EXIF and GPS tabs. 3. **Third-party iOS apps**: Apps like *Exif Metadata* (free) or *Metapho* read every EXIF tag directly on the iPhone without the round-trip to a Mac. 4. **Command line**: For developers and forensics, [exiftool](https://exiftool.org/) on macOS or Linux reads every tag including Apple's maker notes. ## How to edit iPhone photo metadata iOS lets you edit two metadata fields directly in Photos: **date** and **location**. Both were added around iOS 15. **Edit date / time on iPhone:** 1. Open the photo in Photos. 2. Tap the **(i)** info icon. 3. Tap *Adjust* next to the date. 4. Change the date and time, hit *Done*. **Edit location on iPhone:** 1. Open the photo. 2. Tap the **(i)** info icon. 3. Scroll to the map. 4. Tap *Adjust* below the map and either pick a new place or remove the location entirely. These work for the most common cases (wrong time zone, accidental location off) and the change persists in iCloud and on other Apple devices. **For anything Photos doesn't let you edit** (artist, copyright, caption, individual EXIF tags, IPTC fields), use our browser-based [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor). AirDrop the photo to a Mac, drop it in, change the field, download the corrected JPEG. Nothing uploads. For the specific case of correcting a wrong capture date in bulk, see our full guide: [how to change the date on a photo](/photo-guides/how-to-change-the-date-on-a-photo). ## How to strip iPhone photo metadata before sharing If you're posting a photo of your home, your workplace, or your child to a public forum, you probably don't want the embedded GPS coordinates traveling with it. There are three options: **1. iPhone Share Sheet: Options → Location → Off** (one-shot, GPS only) When you tap the share button, before you pick an app, tap *Options* at the top of the share sheet. Toggle *Location* off. The shared copy has no GPS, but the rest of the EXIF (date, camera, lens) still travels. This is the fastest method when you remember. But it only strips GPS, not the full block. **2. Our [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover): full wipe, in your browser** AirDrop or upload to iCloud, then drop into our [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover). One click wipes EXIF, IPTC, XMP, and Apple maker notes. The cleaned JPEG downloads back to you. No upload, no signup. Use this when you want zero metadata leaving your device. Most reliable. **3. Social platforms strip EXIF automatically** Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), TikTok, Reddit, WhatsApp, and Snapchat all strip EXIF on upload, including GPS. Photos posted to those platforms come out the other end with no metadata. The downside: any time the photo *also* goes via email, iMessage, AirDrop, Dropbox, or Google Drive, the full EXIF travels with it. For context on why social platforms do this, see: [why Instagram strips EXIF data](/photo-guides/why-instagram-strips-exif-data). ## iPhone-specific metadata gotchas **iCloud edits sync back.** If you edit a photo's date or location on iPhone with iCloud Photos on, the change syncs to every Apple device. Useful if intentional. Surprising if not. **Live Photos carry extra metadata.** A Live Photo is a still image plus a 3-second video clip. The two files share a *ContentIdentifier* so Photos can link them. If you AirDrop a Live Photo to a non-Apple device, the video portion is usually dropped and the still becomes a normal photo (with EXIF intact). See our guide on [iPhone Live Photos with timestamp](/photo-guides/how-to-take-iphone-live-photo-with-timestamp) for the full workflow. **HEIC stores more than JPG.** Apple's default HEIC format can store depth maps, gain maps for HDR, and multi-image sequences inside one file. Converting HEIC to JPG (via our [HEIC to JPG converter](/heic-to-jpg)) keeps the EXIF and the main image but drops depth and HDR data. For most uses this is what you want. **ProRAW carries the most metadata.** ProRAW (.DNG) files from iPhone 12 Pro and later store every adjustment Photos has made as separate metadata, so the original sensor data is recoverable. The file is 10-20x larger than HEIC but the metadata depth is much richer. **Screenshots have no EXIF.** A screenshot is generated by iOS, not captured through the camera. It carries no DateTimeOriginal, no GPS, no camera model. The file's creation timestamp on storage is the only date marker. **Photos imported from other apps may carry stale EXIF.** A photo received via WhatsApp, then saved to Photos, keeps the EXIF the sender wrote (often after stripping by WhatsApp). The capture date and location may be missing or refer to the original sender's environment. ## Common questions **Why doesn't my iPhone photo have GPS?** The most common reason is that *Location Services* was off for Camera when the shot was taken (*Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Camera*). Other reasons: indoor shoot with no GPS signal, photo received from another app that stripped GPS, photo screenshotted instead of captured. **Can I add GPS to an iPhone photo after the fact?** Yes. On iPhone, tap **(i)** → *Adjust* below the map → pick a place. For more precise coordinates, use our [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor) in a browser and paste the latitude / longitude directly. **Does Apple Photos modify EXIF when I edit?** Yes. When you tap *Edit* and make changes, Photos updates the *ModifyDate* tag and adds processing notes to the maker block. DateTimeOriginal stays the same (the original shutter time is preserved). Cropping updates the PixelXDimension / PixelYDimension tags. **Can the police or a court tell if EXIF has been tampered with?** Sometimes. Forensic analysts look at consistency (does GPS time match the file write time, does the camera model match the maker note format, does the JPEG compression match the claimed source) rather than trusting the tags at face value. Original Apple-camera JPEGs have a distinctive maker-note structure that's hard to fake convincingly. **What's the safest workflow for evidence photos (insurance, legal)?** Take the photo on iPhone with Location Services on. Don't edit. AirDrop the original file (not a screenshot, not a re-shared copy) to a Mac or upload to iCloud. Verify EXIF DateTimeOriginal and GPS in our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer) before submitting. For more, see our blog: [are timestamp photos legal evidence?](/photo-guides/are-timestamp-photos-legal-evidence) ## Bottom line iPhone photos carry far more metadata than the small *(i)* panel reveals. For everyday checks, the *(i)* icon is enough. For full visibility, edit, or stripping, the browser tools on this site handle the work without uploading anything: - See what's in there: [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer) - Fix a wrong date or missing GPS: [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor) / [Date Editor](/edit-photo-date) - Strip everything for privacy: [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover) - Convert HEIC to JPG while keeping metadata: [HEIC to JPG](/heic-to-jpg) EXIF survives most sharing methods (email, Dropbox, AirDrop, iMessage) and gets stripped by all major social platforms (Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, X). If you need the metadata to survive, send the original file via a file-share. If you need it to *not* survive, strip it yourself before posting.