iOS 15: How to Drag and Drop Screenshots

[MacRumors]

In iOS 15, Apple has expanded support for drag and drop functionality across apps on iPhone, allowing you to move files, images, and selected chunks of text from place to place.

Cross-app drag and drop has actually been available on the iPad since 2017, but now Apple has extended the feature to the iPhone with iOS 15. In addition to apps, the multi-finger action also works with screenshots. The following steps show you how it works.

1. Take a screenshot in the usual way, by pressing the Side button and the Volume Up button at the same time.
2. Press and hold on the screenshot thumbnail in the bottom-left corner of the screen, and wait a moment for the white frame around it to disappear.
3. With another finger, tap the app that you want to use the screenshot in. We're opening the Photos app in our example, but you could open Files, Messages, Mail, Notes, or something else.
   
   
   
   Navigate to where you want to use the screenshot. We're selecting a specific album we created, called "iOS 15 screenshots."
   Move the screenshot into the area you want it, then let go with your finger to drop it in place. In our example, the screenshots are instantly saved in the specified location.
   
   

You may have noticed that we've dragged two screenshots in our example – that's just a "meta" result of capturing screenshots of the screenshot-taking process (the thumbnail of the earlier screenshot remains in the next). However, it also serves to highlight that drag and drop supports the selection of multiple items by tapping them with another finger.

It's worth noting that drag and drop results in duplication rather than movement of content, so the screenshot still gets automatically saved in your camera roll. But in iOS 15 you have the ability to immediately pick up a copy of the image and do something more specific with it, like save it to a newly created album, which is useful if your workflow involves lots of screenshots.

The first public beta of iOS 15 is available now, and the official release should come to all compatible iPhones in September.

Article Link: iOS 15: How to Drag and Drop Screenshots

 

[contacos]

wow like ... how is anyone supposed to figure this out on their own "it just works"

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

Dragging the screenshot to a messaging app may have been a better example, considering screenshots are already automatically saved to a folder called screenshots in photos.

 

[mdnz]

wow like ... how is anyone supposed to figure this out on their own "it just works"

The Konami code was easier to figure out.

 

[MacFan782040]

I feel like they could’ve made this way easier.

 

[mattopotamus]

much easier to just take the screenshot and then open your photos be it in messenger, mail, etc.

 

[yabeweb]

This just proves that iOS was a lot easier to use when it did not have all the features Android has had for a while.

Add features and inevitably you have to make compromises and everything become a mess.

It def was easier for Apple to keep a clean os without lots of features.

I.e. "Take a screenshot in the usual way, by pressing the Side button and the Volume Up button at the same time."

I find much easier Xiaomi 3 finger swipe from top to bottom and then the little send button under the thumbnail.

 

[sviato]

Why use this feature when you can share directly to the app you want to use the screenshot in?

 

[IIGS User]

The Konami code was easier to figure out.

Or the Da Vinci code. Or the Enigma Code, or the Drogan's decoder wheel code.

I used it to decode a static-filled triple-scrambled microwave transmission between two soldiers talking in Mandarin Chinese.

It was easy since they were only using a simple polyphonetically-grouped twenty-square-digit key transposed from boustrophedonic form with multiple nulls.

The message said "BE SURE TO DRINK YOUR OVALTINE"....

 

[timmyh]

Dragging the screenshot to a messaging app may have been a better example, considering screenshots are already automatically saved to a folder called screenshots in photos.

Messaging apps are definitely an interesting alternative use case for cross-app drag and drop. If you work with a lot of screenshots though, it can be helpful to organize them into different albums, and dragging and dropping lets you create them on the fly.

 

[citysnaps]

wow like ... how is anyone supposed to figure this out on their own "it just works"

Would you rather not have the feature?

 

[Scottsoapbox]

Would you rather not have the feature?

Yes. I will never use this.

I would rather they work on fixing bugs that useless multi-finger fluff.

 

[contacos]

Would you rather not have the feature?

I just don't see the point of it? You can already share screenshots via the shares sheet, even giving you suggested apps straight from there and the advantage is that it doesn't even save it to the camera roll

 

[citysnaps]

Yes. I will never use this.

I would rather they work on fixing bugs that useless multi-finger fluff.

I'm sorry, but you don't get a vote. Apple will continue to release new features AND deal with bugs.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

What if the app you want to drag it to isn't on the current page of your home screen or is in a folder on your home screen?

 

[Damian83]

Great! Now it will be even easier sending screenshots instead of LINKS! screenshots on phones should be banned forever otherwise people will never learn!

 

[Razorpit]

I'm sorry, but you don't get a vote. Apple will continue to release new features AND deal with bugs.

Actually we all do. When we stop buying Apple stuff we voted.

 

[citysnaps]

Actually we all do. When we stop buying Apple stuff we voted.

So how's that working out for Apple? Did Apple listen to you?

 

[Tagbert]

wow like ... how is anyone supposed to figure this out on their own "it just works"

This is just a more advanced alternative method and you don't have to use it. Users who don't learn about this method can still go to the screenshot and Share it to the app they want.

 

[Razorpit]

So how's that working out for Apple? Did Apple listen to you?

Don’t know about Apple, I don’t get to see their internal numbers versus projections, but it’s been working great for me. I’ve saved thousands of dollars by not upgrading as often as I use to. How about you? You excited at all 501 updates to iOS 15?

 

[Tagbert]

Yes. I will never use this.

I would rather they work on fixing bugs that useless multi-finger fluff.

judging by the stability seen in early betas, Apple IS fixing bugs and working on refining their software. A lot of people are also complaining that there are not enough large new features in this release. You can't please everyone.

 

[Razorpit]

judging by the stability seen in early betas, Apple IS fixing bugs and working on refining their software. A lot of people are also complaining that there are not enough large new features in this release. You can't please everyone.

Yes, how dare people expect better performing software and new features from a multibillion organization.

 

[cupcakes2000]

I feel like they could’ve made this way easier.

Don’t know about that. It’s called ‘drag and drop’ and to be honest, you just drag it and drop it. It’s pretty much the easiest way to do drag and drop.

 

[ian87w]

It's worth noting that drag and drop results in duplication rather than movement of content, so the screenshot still gets automatically saved in your camera roll. But in iOS 15 you have the ability to immediately pick up a copy of the image and do something more specific with it, like save it to a newly created album, which is useful if your workflow involves lots of screenshots.

Wait, what? It is actually making a copy of the screenshot.

I don't know, seems convoluted, especially on a small iPhone screen. It's easier to do it the old way at my own time rather than this finger gymnastics that result in duplicates.

Imo this is probably more of a side effect/base framework for drag-n-drop on iPadOS, where if you are using the magic keyboard and trackpad, this type of gestures make sense (akin to desktop OS style). But on the phone? It's easier to just tap tap tap vs holding your finger and swiping around.

 

[amartinez1660]

What if the app you want to drag it to isn't on the current page of your home screen or is in a folder on your home screen?

I was thinking exactly the same thing. Maybe you can do all the single tap navigation gestures with the second finger that can open apps… so press to open folder, swipe to navigate to a page, etc.
So in that case, next one, what if you are playing an Apple Arcade game (that may make some chuckle hehe), take a screenshot and want to send it to some group on a specific Discord chat room?