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iOS 26: Send Photos Faster With This Hidden Toggle

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Apr 12, 2001
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In iOS 26, Apple quietly added a neat new option that lets you send smaller-sized previews of images over Messages so that recipients get them right away, before the full-resolution images arrive.

iOS-26-Messages-Feature-2-1.jpg

Thanks to the new setting, your recipient will receive a lower-quality preview almost instantly, followed by the full-resolution image. And if you're traveling with limited cellular data or using a metered data connection, they only get the compressed preview version – ensuring the original high resolution image doesn't hoover up your data.

How to Enable Send Photo Previews

Apple has made this feature easy to toggle on or off depending on your needs. Here's how to enable it:
  1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
  2. Scroll down and tap Apps.
  3. Select Messages from the app list.
  4. Toggle on the switch next to Send Low-Quality Photo Previews.
ios-send-photo-previews-messages.jpg


Once enabled, the feature works automatically, so you don't have to do anything else.

A Note on Low Data Mode

You can make sure that only smaller-sized previews of images are sent to recipients by keeping your iPhone in Low Data Mode. You can enable this manually by going to Settings ➝ Cellular Service. Choose your primary service, then tap Data Mode and toggle on Low Data Mode. The same setting appears under individual Wi-Fi network settings in Settings ➝ Wi-Fi (tap the encircled "i" button next to the Wi-Fi network name).

wi-fi-low-data-mode.jpg

When Low Data Mode is active and Send Low-Quality Photo Previews is enabled, you may see photos in your Messages conversations appear slightly pixelated. Just bear in mind that they will only be delivered in higher quality versions if you send them when Low Data Mode is turned off.

Article Link: iOS 26: Send Photos Faster With This Hidden Toggle
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/ios-send-photos-faster-hidden-toggle/
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The low data mode caveat also seems like a big drawback if it doesn’t send the high quality version when low data mode is turned off.
 
Looks like this is just an evolution of the Low Quality Image Mode from iOS 18, which didn’t make much sense so this is a welcome update
 
You do realize that you can send low resolution photos via text messaging by long pressing on the send button which in theory shouldn’t use your data plan. 📱👆
 
Oh, cool! I'll have to try this out. Sometimes I'm in an area with spotty coverage so sending a low-quality preview will come in handy.
 
So if you're in a low bandwidth or limited data plan this setting now sends low rez file + the full rez = overall more data? The blog post is unclear. How is sending more data overall better for people in low bandwidth or low data plan situations? Whose problem is this? How much time is it saving? What actual human need here is worth saving a few more seconds or minute more or this just feeding ADHD/obsessive-compulsive impatience?
 
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neotint said:
So if you have low data this setting now sends low rez file + the full rez = overall more data? The blog post is unclear. How is sending more data overall better for people in low bandwidth situations? Whose problem is this? How much time is it saving? What actual human need here is worth saving a few more seconds or minute more or this just feeding ADHD/obsessive-compulsive impatience?
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It’s annoying when you get nothing. In areas of spotty reception or high congestion, this setting means they’ll get something and then the full image later, but yes it means more total data. Fortunately the initial low re image should be really low data usage.
 
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Most unclear article I have ever read. Does it send a low and high? Wouldn't that use more data? Does it just send the low and the higher one later when you're on a better connection? What happens if someone saves the low version, will they get the low or high version? So many questions - 0 answers!
 
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Loud_Texan said:
I hate when people share a picture in low-res since I like to save them.
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I'm with you. With the days of mega data allowances in our plans and wifi almost everywhere we go, who wants to share low res images? For the advantage of it sending a few seconds quicker? naw, this one is a miss
 
btrach144 said:
Wrong, iMessage compresses all photos before being sent.

Always a good idea to understand the topic you are engaging in before engaging.
Click to expand...
That is incorrect. My wife and I iMessage each other photos all the time and they retain the original size. To confirm this I just compared my wife's original photo vs. the one I received. The one I received was not actually the exact same size, but it was ever so slightly bigger (by 2 KB). The differences I noticed were that the original was IMG_5827.HEIC and my received copy was IMG_5827.heic (lower case suffix) but had additional metadata indicating that the photo was from her. See below. (I've edited out her phone number that was included in the metadata in the version I received.)

Screenshot 2025-09-29 at 3.51.42 PM.png
 
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It's unbelievable that after more than 1.5 decades of iOS, there still isn't a way to control how much data we want to use on a connection. For example setting a cap if your plan is limited (which is the case for most people).
 
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