Download iMessage photos to specific album on iPhone

You cannot automatically save iMessage photos directly to a specific custom album. Photos saved from the Messages app go to your main Recents album (Camera Roll) in the Photos app. From there, you must manually move them to a custom album.

Manually Save and Move Photos:

Here is the process to save photos from Messages and then add them to a specific album:

Step 1: Save the photos from Messages

1. Open the Messages app and the conversation containing the photos you want to save.
2. Tap on the contact's name or group name at the top of the screen, then tap the Info button (looks like an "i").
3. Scroll down to see the Photos section and tap See All.
4. Tap Select in the top right corner, then tap on each photo you want to save.
5. Tap the Share icon (a square with an upward arrow) in the bottom left corner, then select Save Images. 

The photos are now saved in your main Recents album in the Photos app. 

Step 2: Add the photos to a specific album 

1. Open the Photos app and go to the Albums tab.
2. Tap on the album where you want to add the photos, or tap the plus sign (+) in the top left to create a New Album.
3. Tap the three dots icon (or the plus sign at the end of the photo grid, depending on your iOS version) and select Add Photos.
4. Select the photos you just saved (they should be the most recent ones), and then tap Add. 

The photos will now appear in both the Recents album and your specific custom album without creating duplicates.

I hope this helps.

bigdogg57 wrote:

iPhone - how to download iMessage photos to a specific album so that they are not intermingled into my library photos by date

Messages app cannot do that, as it does not support that function itself, and also does not support share sheets.

Send Apple some feedback: Product Feedback - Apple

For those apps where you can use share sheets, you can create a share sheet shortcut to do what you want here. You maybe able to save files to a folder somewhere, and then use Files app to share those photo files into a specific album.

Something akin to this example, which has some options for where the photos are stored:

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/b913dd0c0cb549f88ae1be595f467a29

Here is some info on how Shortcuts works:

Shortcuts User Guide - Apple Support