EXIF, which stands for Exchangeable Image File Format, is a standard format that stores the metadata of a photo. That includes details such as shutter speed, ISO, camera name, exposure, location, etc. So, if you have location permission enabled for the camera, the EXIF data of an image also includes the date and location where you took the photo.
Most photo editing applications can read those details every time you open an image for editing. However, be careful not to open or share photos with EXIF data, as it also contains location details.
To edit and organize images, or protect your privacy, you can easily edit the EXIF data of an image and remove the location details. We show you how to edit image metadata on iPhone.
View image EXIF data on iPhone
It is natural to wonder how you can easily view EXIF data on your own iPhone. That will help you to know what kind of EXIF metadata a specific image has stored on your device.
Step 1: Launch the Photos app on your iPhone.
Step 2: Tap an image to open it.
Step 3: Swipe up on the image or tap the (i) icon. Your iPhone will show you the EXIF data that the image has on file. You can see the camera specs, the date of capture and even the location where the photo was taken.
Edit the date and time EXIF data on iPhone
The Photos app allows you to easily adjust the image data metadata. It is very useful when you want to organize photos in a specific way. Sometimes, importing images taken from other digital cameras may not have the correct date. Correcting this data will ensure that the iPhone displays the photos in the correct order.
Step 1: Launch the Photos app on your iPhone.
Step 2: Tap the image for which you want to edit the date and time EXIF data.
Step 3: Swipe up on the image or tap the (i) icon to reveal the EXIF data and tap the Adjust button next to the date.
Step 4: Touch the drop-down arrow at the top left of the calendar field to open the month view.
Step 5: Use the scroll wheels to change the month and year and then touch the drop-down arrow to close the month view.
Step 6: Touch to select the date you want to set.
Step 7: Touch the time at the bottom right corner and scroll to select the time you want to set.
Step 8: You can even change the time zone of the photo by touching the Time Zone button at the bottom.
Step 9: Touch the cross button at the top right corner to delete the current time zone.
Step 10: Search for your time zone and tap the relevant result to add it.
Step 11: Once everything is in order, tap the Set button in the upper right corner to save the changes.
Edit and delete location EXIF data
If your photos are stored with location data and you don’t want the photos to include it, you can easily change it on your iPhone. The iPhone uses location data to organize photos and create memories to show pictures from the same location.
However, you may also want to remove location data for privacy reasons, so you don’t end up sharing those details even if you share the photos with your friends or online. Here’s how you can edit and remove location EXIF data on your iPhone.
Step 1: Launch the Photos app on your iPhone.
Step 2: Tap the image you want to edit the location metadata for.
Step 3: Swipe up on the image or tap the (i) icon to reveal the EXIF data.
Step 4: Scroll down and tap the Adjust button below the location map.
Step 5: Tap the cross button in the search field to delete the current address.
Step 6: Search for the correct address and tap to select it.
Step 7: If you want to remove location metadata, tap the No Location button.
Remove image metadata before sharing
The Photos app on iPhone also allows you to remove location and data metadata before sharing a photo or multiple photos. Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Launch the Photos app on your iPhone.
Step 2: Tap the image you want to share to open it.
Step 3: Tap the Share button in the lower left corner to share the image.
Step 4: Now, tap the small Options button at the top left corner next to the image thumbnail.
Step 5: On this page, disable the switch next to the ‘All photo data’ option.
Step 6: Tap Done to save the settings. After this, your iPhone will remove EXIF data before sharing any photos.
View and edit EXIF data of images on iPhone
The iPhone Photos app gives you the option to view and edit EXIF data of images. While this is more than enough for most users, if you want to stay away from third party EXIF editing apps unless you need them. Protect the privacy of your photos and location by deleting the data.