Mail attachments in drafts disappears in iOS 16.2

I use a private imap mail account on my Macbook Pro and my iPhone 12 mini.

Synking has always worked like a charm over the years.


In the mail app on the Mac I usually create drafts with attachments such as jpgs and zips etc.

When opening the draft on my iPhone text is still there but all attachments are gone.

If there should be en image its just a big blank white surface indicating that there is something there but it never loads no matter what I try: wifi, cell net, restart app, restart phone.

I was hoping not to be forced to delete the append reinstall everything...


This is what's going on since latest iOS 16.2 update:

I create an email draft on the mac, write some text and attach one jpg. save it as draft.

On the mac everything is there: text and image.


When looking at it on the iPhone the text is still there but no image (despite attachment symbol visible in letterhead)

Where the image should be there is just a big blank white surface indicating that "there is something there" but it never loads no matter what I try: wifi, cell net, restart app, restart phone.


If I make any changes on this draft on the phone, ie change the text and then save it the attachment will also disappear on the mac. And this is weird: the attachment symbol disappears on the mac but it still says size of image ie 435k. But image is gone forever on both devices.


If I send the draft from the phone with the missing image the message will arrive without image on both mac and phone.


If the draft is created on the iPhone from scratch with attached image the image will be as expected visible both on the phone and the mac. No problems here.


Any ideas? To me it looks like an iOS bug?

I was hoping not to be forced to delete the mail app on the phone and reinstall everything...

Posted on Jan 24, 2023 08:08 AM

Reply

Similar questions

7 replies

Jan 26, 2023 07:46 AM in response to henkony

Thanks for letting us know, henkony,


Are you using iCloud mail or do you use another email account?


If you have more than one email account, are you able to reproduce the same behavior on all accounts or is it isolated to a single email account?


This article outlines troubleshooting steps for mail which may help you as well: If you can’t send email on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

"Remove your email account and set it up again

  1. On your computer, sign in to your email provider’s website. Make sure that all of your email is there or make sure that your email is saved somewhere other than on your iOS or iPadOS device.
  2. On your device, go to Settings > Mail, then tap Accounts.
  3. Tap the email account that you want to remove.
  4. Tap Delete Account.
  5. Add your account again.

If the steps in this article don't help, contact your email service provider for more information."


Kind regards.


Apr 9, 2023 11:20 PM in response to Omar_A1

What is the final solution for this problem? I have the exact same issues as Henkony. Just upgraded to an iPhone 13 from a 7 and use Mac Mail Program on my MacBook OS 11.4 Big Sur.


I have this problem when saving draft emails in Mac Mail program on my iCloud account and same issues with my gmail accounts setup in Mac Mail iMap. I creat drafts regularly in Mac Mail via laptop to send out or edit at a later date on my iPhone. Never had this problem on iPhone 7 or older iPad Air.

Jan 25, 2023 05:06 PM in response to henkony

Hello henkony,


Thank you for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.


You are running an older iOS version. Let's update and test to see if the issue persists:


"Update your iPhone or iPad wirelessly

  1. Back up your device using iCloud or your computer.
  2. Plug your device into power and connect to the internet with Wi-Fi.
  3. Go to Settings > General, then tap Software Update.
  4. If you see more than one software update option available, choose the one that you want to install.The Settings app on iPhone showing options to update to iOS 15.7 or iOS 16.
  5. Tap Install Now. If you see Download and Install instead, tap it to download the update, enter your passcode, then tap Install Now. If you don't know your passcode, learn what to do."


More details can be found here: Update your iPhone or iPad


If the issue persists, can you provide a few more details? Which macOS version do you have installed? Also, if you create an email on your iPhone, does it appear correctly on your Mac?


Cheers!


Jan 26, 2023 12:38 AM in response to Omar_A1

Thanks for your tips but updating iOS to 16.3 did not help with the problem.

As mentioned all drafts created on the phone shows correctly on both phone and mac.

It’s all drafts created on the mac that don’t show correctly on the phone

(All attchments not showing)


I run an older OS (High Sierra) on my mac for software reasons but my colleague run the latest OS on his mac and have the exact same problem.


This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Mail attachments in drafts disappears in iOS 16.2

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.