Are GIFs on your iPhone not working or you can’t save them from your device update to iOS 14? This is a common issue reported by many iPhone and iPad users. Instead of saving the animated image which is played as a very short video, your browser only downloads an image from the GIF. The image is available in the Photos app but cannot be viewed.
How to Fix GIFs That Are Not Working in iOS 14
IPhones are definitely capable of recording and playing GIFs in iOS 14. However, there are several reasons why GIFs are saved as still images. Most of them and their relevant fixes are listed below:
-
1. Use Safari
-
2. Open in a new tab
-
3. Disable Optimize photos
- Open Settings on your iOS or iPadOS device.
- Scroll down to Pictures.
- Disable the Optimize iPhone storage functionality. (This feature is only available if iCloud sync is turned on!)
-
4. Free up storage space
-
5. Download the GIF app
-
6.webp instead of GIF files
We noticed that the Google Chrome browser most often fails to save GIFs and instead will only download a still image from the animated photo. In iOS 14, users can set Chrome as their default iPhone browser.
To fix: So, if you are having trouble with downloading GIFs, make sure you are using Safari browser before proceeding to the next step!
If you’re browsing a GIF through Safari, you might not be able to save it to your iPhone unless you open it in a new tab. The website integrates the animated images natively or through a third-party platform. Each hosting company has its own system. To maximize your changes to saving a GIF and not a still image, open the GIF in a new Safari tab before downloading it.
How? ‘Or’ What: Long press on the GIF image and use the ‘Open in a new tab‘option. Then press firmly again and use the ‘Add to photosoption to save the GIF to your iPhone or iPad.
If Safari on your iPhone / iPad also fails to save GIFs, you might want to change the following iCloud setting:
Made: It stores the original photos and videos on iCloud and just keeps a thumbnail version of your file on your iPhone to free up storage space. This could be one of the reasons why GIFs are not playing on your device.
In contrast, a user on Apple’s discussion forums complaints that he noticed that iOS 14 will stop recording GIFs if the iPhone storage is low. So, a potential fix requires you to free up additional space on your device to be able to download GIFs again.
GIFs are available online in a number of ways. Some are uploaded directly to a website, while others are integrated through third-party GIF hosting applications such as Gyfcat, Imgur and more.
At the time of writing, GIFs that are updated through third-party apps cannot be downloaded, even through Safari.
To fix: However, if you download the GIF hosting platform iOS app, from the app store, you will be able to open the GIFs through the app and easily copy and paste them to your favorite sharing channels!
Many sites are opting for the new .Webp format that it is now also supported by iOS 14. It seems that the Pictures the application is unable to display .webp images correctly and only displays a still image instead of animation.
If so, there isn’t much you can do.
Point: Make sure to update your device to the latest version of iOS 14 for the best chance of successfully saving GIF!
Have you successfully fixed GIF not playing on your iPhone in iOS 14? Did any of the tips above help you? Share your comments! Use the comments section and tell us which one.
Related: Do you know that you can hide hidden album in iOS 14?