How to compress photos for email on iPhone

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Email on a Mac

Photos preserve memories from activities or events with our family, friends, and even pets. However, different photos vary in size depending on their format, dimension, resolution, and other formats. They may therefore take up more space on your device than is necessary. 

It can be troublesome to send or share large-sized photos via email or text messages. The recipient may also have a problem downloading them since some sites, and social apps limit the size of photos you can upload or send.

This article will teach you how to compress a photo size on iPhone and iPad devices for easier sharing.

Reducing photo size through email on iPhone

You may want to reduce the email attachment size for an email to send to friends, family, or colleagues. Also, when sharing photos via Mail on the Photos app, your iPhone or iPad will ask you to choose a size for the selected photos or maintain the original size. 

Photos app on iPhone

Below are the instructions on how to compress lots of photos for email on your iPhone or iPad:

  • Launch the Photos app on your iPad or iPhone.
  • Tap and open the album containing the photos you want to compress. 
  • Select the photos that you want to compress.
  • Tap on the Share button and select Mail to share the selected photos.
  • Enter your email address and choose a recommended photo size from the pop-up window. The photo sizes include Actual Size, Large, Medium, and Small.
  • Tap on the Send icon option to send the compressed photos via your email. Later, you can download these photos to your Photos app and remove the original photos from your device.

Read: How to reverse a video on iPhone

By using a photo compressing app

There are several photo compressing apps available on App Store. You can download Compress Photos and Pictures for iPad and iPhone if you want a free app with a user-friendly interface. 

The advantage of the Compress Photos and Pictures app is that it locally zips photos on iPhone without an internet connection.

You can also pay a subscription to upgrade to the Pro version, which removes ads and allows you to compress more than three photos simultaneously. Before you start the photo compressing process, you first need to open the app and grant it permission to access your photos.

Here are the steps on how to compress photos with Compress Photos and Photos on your iPhone or iPad:

  • Tap on Select Photos to Compress on the main page.
  • Choose the photos you want to compress and tap Next.
  • Adjust the compression options for the dimensions and quality, depending on your preference.
  • Tap on Compress or tap to Go Back, make necessary adjustments and press the button there.
  • When the compression process is complete, you can view and compare the size details of your photos before and after compression.

You can either decide to save or delete the original photo to save on memory space. The compressed photo will be automatically saved to your photo library in the Recent album or the newly created Compressed Photos album. If you select Delete Original, you will be prompted to confirm by tapping Delete.

You can view the images on the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad. In addition, the compressed photos can be viewed and are ready to be sent or shared via email, messaging, or social media app.

Taking pictures of smaller size files on the iPhone

picture on iPhone

While the Compress Photos and Pictures app is easy and convenient, it is better if you can take small-sized pictures without compressing them through an app. If your iPhone runs iOS 11 and above, its camera can shoot pictures in HEIF or High-Efficiency Image Format instead of the standard JPEG. 

HEIF pictures have a small image file size compared to a JPEG file without interfering with their quality. iOS 11 and above iPhones automatically use HEIF by default instead of JPEG. If it is turned off, here are the steps to enable it:

  • Tap and open the Settings app.
  • Tap on the Camera option in the Settings menu.
  • Tap on Formats.
  • Select High Efficiency. 

Although HEIF is a great format, it is not compatible with every device like JPG. It is therefore recommended that you sometimes convert it, which is easier.

Take screenshots of the photos

As crude as this method sounds, it is very convenient and reliable. It applies if you only want one or less than ten compressed photos. Otherwise, it can be quite hectic. It is also convenient to reduce a specific photo size before sharing it with friends through email. 

Here are the steps of compressing a photo on an iPhone by taking a screenshot:

  • Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
  • Select the photo from the album that you want to compress.
  • If you use an iPhone 6s Plus or a later version, you can screenshot the photo by pressing and holding the Home and Side button simultaneously. For iPhone X, 7, and later versions, simultaneously press and hold the Volume Up and Power buttons.
  • The screen will click, notifying you that the screenshot was successfully taken.
  • Once you have your screenshotted photo, you can edit it directly on your Photos app and delete the original photo on your iPhone.

Read: How to merge videos on iPhone without using iMovie

Compress photos through Optimize iPhone Storage

This is the simplest way to compress photos on iPhone for free. You can compress a whole photo library through Optimize iPhone Storage. This feature moves or syncs all your saved photos from your iOS device to iCloud storage.

The photos will appear in the Photos app as a thumbnail; if you want to open it, it will be downloaded from iCloud.

Here are the steps on how to compress photos via Optimize iPhone Storage:

  • Launch the Settings app.
  • Tap on Photos and Camera.
  • Tap on the Optimize iPhone Storage option.
  • The local photos stored on your iOS device will automatically sync to iCloud storage and leave the compressed images on your device.

If the 5GB storage is not enough for your images and videos, you can opt to pay for more storage space on iCloud.