How to fix the error of not being able to view photos in Messages on iPhone

Is the Messages app on your iPhone not uploading photos you receive via iMessage or MMS? This is a common problem, but it's easy to fix. Follow these troubleshooting steps to get the Messages app on your iPhone showing photos again.

1. Enable MMS messaging on iPhone

Since photos are a form of media, the Messages app sends them as MMS messages instead of SMS messages when iMessage isn't available.

So go to Settings > Messages and turn on MMS Messaging to make sure your iPhone can send and receive MMS messages.

If you don't see this option, your carrier may not support MMS messages.

2. Turn on mobile data

To send and receive photos as MMS messages through the Messages app, cellular data must be enabled on your iPhone.

While iMessage and other messaging apps like WhatsApp or Messenger can work over cellular data or Wi-Fi, regular MMS still relies on cellular data, not Wi-Fi.

To turn on cellular data, go to Settings > Cellular and turn on Cellular Data . If you're having trouble turning on cellular data, try these solutions to fix cellular data not working on iPhone.

3. Check phone signal

If you're in an area with poor cellular signal, your iPhone may not be able to send and receive photos and messages. You may also experience similar issues, such as not being able to make calls on your iPhone.

You can check your phone's signal strength by looking at the bars displayed on your iPhone's status bar at the top of the screen. The more vertical bars displayed, the stronger the signal, and vice versa.

Moving to another room and removing your iPhone case are some methods you can try to boost your cell signal.

4. Review content restrictions in Settings

The above solutions usually address situations where you can't even receive photos and photos aren't showing up at all in Messages.

Now, if you are able to receive photos but the problem is that they don't load in Messages and instead appear blurry then it could be due to content restriction settings.

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Sensitive Content Warning and see if it's turned on. If it is, you can turn it off separately from Messages or completely.

5. Reset iMessage

If photos received in a previous iMessage conversation suddenly don't load properly and instead elements like white boxes and question marks are displayed, try resetting iMessage on your iPhone.

Go to Settings > Messages and turn iMessage off. Then restart your iPhone, then go to Settings > Messages again and turn iMessage back on.

If you are an iPhone user who is facing issues texting Android contacts, try these other fixes when iPhone can't send photos to Android in the Messages app .

6. Restart iPhone and reset network settings

If you don’t want to reset iMessage, you should restart your iPhone. While this is a general fix, there are many reasons why restarting your smartphone will fix most problems.

In addition to restarting your iPhone, you can also try resetting the network settings on your iPhone. Go to Settings > General > Switch or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings .

Finally, if you still find that photos are not loading in Messages on iPhone, it is best to contact your carrier, Apple Support, or an Apple Authorized Service Provider for further assistance.