iPhone 13 Pro Max not saving any photos / screenshots / downloaded photos (iOS 18.5)

Hi all! I'm currently on vacation, and as of yesterday, my iPhone (13 Pro Max is not saving any photos that I take, any screenshots, or any images downloaded from the internet/other apps.


My phone did not update, or have anything changed that I'm aware of - I was able to take photos the evening prior and then it lost functionality.


The camera app and photos app have both started occasionally freezing and giving me a black partial/fully black screen. When I take a photo on the camera, I can click on the camera roll icon in the lower left, but it shows me a low-resolution version of the photo, and the photo disappears after closing the app.


Similarly, screenshots and photos downloaded from other sources either never show up, or get stuck in a "download" loop.


I have plenty of iCloud storage available, have half of the phone's internal storage available, and I've restarted my phone about 10 times at this point.


If anyone can help or point me in the right direction, I'd love to be able to fix this glitch!

iPhone 13 Pro Max, iOS 18

Posted on Jul 3, 2025 2:12 PM

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4 replies

Jul 5, 2025 8:41 AM in response to boatsongs

It sure sounds like a storage thing, but you say you have more than 10% of your internal storage free? You're sure, is that right? Same with iCloud storage. Are you sure you are still connected to iCloud with the same Account?


If you haven't already, you should try a Forced re-start.

Force restart iPhone - Apple Support

This is different from a simple Power Off. I had to continue holding the button down past the "slide to power off" message, and then I released the button only after  the Apple Logo appeared indicating a re-start. 

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iPhone 13 Pro Max not saving any photos / screenshots / downloaded photos (iOS 18.5)

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