I have some videos and photos I want to mail from my iPhone 5S. So I go to Photos, select a photo, tap the little icon with a square and an up-arrow, at which point I get several icons, one of which is Mail - looks like I am on the right track. But when I click Mail, I get Settings > Mail > Add Account and I have to choose between Yahoo, AOL, Google and others. I use Gmail so I click Google. After entering my name, email address and password and tapping Next, it tells me "myname@gmail.com" is Already Added (upper case and all). And "The gmail account has already been added to your iPhone." So why did it want me to add it again and how do I get past this nonsense? FWIW, I did add my gmail account at one time but subsequently deleted it when I discovered the Gmail app which is much more to my liking than the iPhone mail app.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Can't email photos from iPhone 5S
- Thread starter donfrench
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You can continue messing around with it or re-add your gmail address to Apple Mail which the photo apps use. 
You can continue messing around with it or re-add your gmail address to Apple Mail which the photo apps use.
Actually, I can't re-add my gmail address - that is the problem. It tells me that I already am using that email address even though I deleted it. This feels a lot like a bug but I am surprised that it hasn't been reported and fixed already.
The native email app is asking you to set up the email account because at the time that you choose the photo to send, it is noticed that the account is missing from that default email app.
Have you tried using the Gmail app (which you say you prefer) and adding the photo from within that composition process instead? I ask this without knowing whether or not it will work because I use Gmail with the native iPhone email app and it all works very well.
Have you tried using the Gmail app (which you say you prefer) and adding the photo from within that composition process instead? I ask this without knowing whether or not it will work because I use Gmail with the native iPhone email app and it all works very well.
Yes, I realize that - but at the same time, it will not let me add my email address because it tells me that I am already using that email address - so I am stuck.
To recap: I now have no email addresses associated with the native email app and it won't let me add my email address because it erroneously believes that it is already added - apparently because I once added it even though I later deleted it. That appears to be a bug, wouldn't you say?
Yes, I can send photos from my Gmail account but what I really want to send is a video and it does not allow me to send videos (or any attachment other than a photo or a "scribble").
I'm having the same issue and so are some people on the apple support forums:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5360549?start=0&tstart=0
I use the Gmail app for email, I do not use the native iOS Mail app.
When I use the native Photos app to select a photo to send by email it says that I need to add an account and gives the standard list of options (exchange, google, other, etc). I already have google added (for contacts and calendar, not email in the native app) and it says as much when I try to add it.
I can send through the Photos app (e.g., using the native Mail app) if I enable Mail in the Google account (that I normally only use for contact and calendar). But then I have the native mail app giving me a duplicate notification every time I get mail and presumably using battery life unnecessarily.
I could not find a solution to allow email through the Gmail app and sending photos by email through the native Photos app (while also not enabling gmail for the native Mail app in settings). If anyone has better luck please post here.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5360549?start=0&tstart=0
I use the Gmail app for email, I do not use the native iOS Mail app.
When I use the native Photos app to select a photo to send by email it says that I need to add an account and gives the standard list of options (exchange, google, other, etc). I already have google added (for contacts and calendar, not email in the native app) and it says as much when I try to add it.
I can send through the Photos app (e.g., using the native Mail app) if I enable Mail in the Google account (that I normally only use for contact and calendar). But then I have the native mail app giving me a duplicate notification every time I get mail and presumably using battery life unnecessarily.
I could not find a solution to allow email through the Gmail app and sending photos by email through the native Photos app (while also not enabling gmail for the native Mail app in settings). If anyone has better luck please post here.
In case anyone else has the same problem, what worked for me was to go to Settings -> Mail, Contacts, Calendars -> Gmail -> Delete Account.
You can then set up Gmail anew either in the native mail app, or install the Gmail app. I prefer the former, as the latter does not give you the option to set up a notification sound which means that mail arrives silently.
You can then set up Gmail anew either in the native mail app, or install the Gmail app. I prefer the former, as the latter does not give you the option to set up a notification sound which means that mail arrives silently.
solved!
I had the same problem. I am using the gmail app, but I have not deleted the native account. I deactivated it because I got tired of seeing that I had 1000s of unread emails.
To send a video I simply went back to settings and enabled gmail for email. Then I was able to email the video straight from the camera folder. I went back and disabled it when I was done.
Too many steps in order to send a video... but it worked!
I had the same problem. I am using the gmail app, but I have not deleted the native account. I deactivated it because I got tired of seeing that I had 1000s of unread emails.
To send a video I simply went back to settings and enabled gmail for email. Then I was able to email the video straight from the camera folder. I went back and disabled it when I was done.
Too many steps in order to send a video... but it worked!
Any luck?
I'm having the same issue where my phone wants me to setup a new email account when I push the "email" button from the camera roll or and album. Gone through all the suggestions of deleting the account and recreating it, resetting everything, etc. Haven't gone so far as erasing and restoring, because thats a giant pain... I'm able to send pictures via SMS/iMessage, Facebook, Twitter, etc... just not email
I'm having the same issue where my phone wants me to setup a new email account when I push the "email" button from the camera roll or and album. Gone through all the suggestions of deleting the account and recreating it, resetting everything, etc. Haven't gone so far as erasing and restoring, because thats a giant pain... I'm able to send pictures via SMS/iMessage, Facebook, Twitter, etc... just not email
If you have a set up your primary email account on your iPhone, but have it turned off, you will get the result you have described when you try to send a photo. Go to Settings and turn it on.....