If you need to save an image or photo that you received via email on your iPhone, know that you can do it in a few simple steps. Saving a received image on an iPhone as an email attachment is a simple process that takes only a few seconds of your time. Whether or not you want to keep the saved image within the Photos app or on iCloud, all you need is a brief configuration of the iOS device settings and a few taps of the screen that displays the email containing the attachment to be stored.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Save an Attachment to the Media Gallery of the Device
Step 1. Authorize the app you use to manage emails on the iPhone (in most cases Gmail) to access the images stored on the device
This step only needs to be done the first time you try to save an attachment to the iPhone. Here are the simple steps to follow:
- Open the Settings app of the iOS device in use;
- Scroll through the list that appeared to locate and select "Privacy";
- Tap the "Photos" app;
- Activate the slider next to the mail client app you normally use (in most cases it is Gmail).
Step 2. Start the mail client you normally use on the iPhone
Find the email that the photo you want to download to your device is attached to. Open the E-Mail and scroll to the end to view its attachment on the screen. The latter is an additional element external to the e-mail, which is normally displayed at the end of the text message.
If the image or images you want to save are part of a conversation consisting of multiple emails received from different senders, attachments may be listed at the end of all messages. In this case, scroll to the bottom of the list of emails that make up the entire conversation, until you see the attachments (or the attachment)
Step 3. Tap the image attached to the email
The share button should appear in the upper right corner of the screen. Normally all attachments are automatically downloaded as soon as you open the relevant e-mail. If in this case the download was not completed when you received and read the e-mail message, simply keep your finger pressed on the photo in question to start the download procedure.
Step 4. Press the "Share" button
In this way, you will be offered a number of options related to content sharing. Choose the "Save Image" (or "Save to Images") option. Once the "Save Image" button is pressed, the selected photo or photos will be saved in the iPhone media gallery.
Step 5. Go to the image gallery
To make sure that the selected photo has been saved correctly on your device, search for it in the iPhone media gallery. It should be the first image displayed as soon as you open the application.
Method 2 of 3: Save an Attachment to iCloud Drive
Step 1. Make sure the latest version of iOS is installed on the iPhone
If you want your photos to be accessible at any time from any Apple device, saving them to iCloud is definitely the best solution. First you need to make sure your iPhone is using the latest iOS version available:
- Launch the iPhone Settings app;
- Tap the "General" option;
- Hit the "Software Update" button to find out if a new iOS version is available. If so, there will be a "Download and install" link at the bottom of the page;
- Tap the "Download and Install" link to start the automatic update, then wait for it to complete.
Step 2. Set up iCloud access
If you have installed an iOS update or if it is simply the first time you turn on a new iOS device, to complete this step, you simply have to follow the instructions that appear on the screen. They will guide you through the iPhone setup process for activating all desired features, such as accessing the iCloud service. If you've been using your iPhone for a while, but have never turned on iCloud access, follow these instructions to do so now:
- Launch the iPhone Settings app;
- Touch the "iCloud" item;
- Enter your Apple ID login credentials (this is the same account you use to purchase and download new content via iTunes);
- Activate the "iCloud" slider.
Step 3. Activate the "My Photo Stream" feature, so that the images received as attachments are automatically downloaded
This is a great solution if you want most of the pictures on your iPhone to be automatically uploaded to iCloud and synced with all other devices connected to your Apple ID. Follow these steps to enable the "My Photo Stream" feature:
- Access the iPhone Home screen;
- Tap the "Settings" icon;
- Choose the "iCloud" option;
- Touch the "Photos" item;
- Activate the "My Photo Stream" slider.
Step 4. Remember to back up all images on your device
Photos in the "My Photo Stream" album are kept in iCloud for 30 days. If you want to keep a copy of these images, you need to transfer them from the "My Photo Stream" album to your device. Here are the steps to follow:
- Select the images you want to save;
- Press the "Share;"
- Choose the "Save Image" option;
- At this point, you can backup your pictures via iCloud or iTunes.
Method 3 of 3: Save an Embedded Image in an Email
Step 1. Open the email containing the photo you want to save on your device
In these special cases, the image you want to save is not an attachment, but an integral part of the body of the email itself. Open the email containing the photo you want to save.
Step 2. Locate the image inserted into the body of the email
If it's multiple photos, you'll need to save them one at a time.
Step 3. Keep your finger pressed on the chosen image
After 1-2 seconds, you will see a small context menu appear that contains two options:
- "Save image";
- "Copy".
Step 4. Choose the "Save Image" item
In this way, the selected photo will be saved in the media gallery of the device.
