How to Fix Pictures won’t Load on iPhone 13

This post will walk you through resolving an issue on the iPhone 13 that doesn’t load photos or image files. Read on to learn what to do if pictures won’t load on iPhone 13 in iOS 15.4.

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Having trouble loading images on your new iPhone 13? Performing the outlined solutions below might be able to help you. Keep scrolling for more information.

Why won’t pictures load on an iPhone?

A common reason as to why multimedia files like photos, videos and audio files are not loading on an iPhone is due to a problematic internet connection. This is often the case when the device is experiencing slow internet, intermittent or unstable Wi-Fi.

Other factors that are known to hinder loading of image and video files from online or offline sources on an iOS device are the following:

  • Data corruption
  • Unsupported file formats
  • File restrictions
  • Storage issues
  • Random software glitches

In some cases, the iPhone would fail to load pictures due to some internal iOS bugs. Problems like this are typically linked to some unknown software bug from a recent update and other files added on the device.

Generally, this problem is software-related and therefore rectifiable by end-users. All it requires is to do some workarounds that would help rule out every possible culprit.

Outlined below are a few helpful tweaks you can try in case you would bump into the same issue on your new iPhone 13 device.

Troubleshooting Pictures Won’t Load on iPhone 13

Performing the following procedures will help eliminate common factors that might have barred the iPhone from loading image files as intended. These methods are also applicable when troubleshooting the same problem on other iPhone models that are running on the same iOS version.

Don’t forget to retry loading the errant photo after performing each solution to determine whether or not the problem is solved. Try the next applicable solution if needed.

Solution #1: Restart the iPhone (soft reset).

If the problem occurs only on random instances, it could be just due to a minor software glitch that’s often addressed with a device restart. That said, restarting the phone or performing a soft reset is typically regarded among the first recommended solutions.

And here’s how it’s done on the iPhone 13 device:
  • Press and hold the Power/Side button and either Volume buttons for a few seconds and then release when the Power off slider appears.
  • Then, drag the slider to turn your iPhone completely off.
  • After 30 seconds, press and hold the Side button again until the Apple logo appears.

Alternatively, you can go to Settings-> General menu and then select Shutdown to turn the iPhone off. After 30 seconds, turn the iPhone back on by pressing on the Power/Side button and then release when the Apple logo appears.

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Allow your device to reconnect to the internet and once it gets back online, retry loading the image and see if it already loads up successfully this time.

Solution #2: Refresh your internet connection.

If the problem occurs only when attempting to load images over the internet, chances are that a poor or unstable internet connection is at fault. To rule this out network connection errors, refreshing the iPhone’s internet connection might be able to fix it.

fix iphone 13 wont load photos ios15 wifi refresh

If you’re on Wi-Fi, refreshing wireless connections by turning Wi-Fi off and on is the recommended tweak. Disconnecting and reconnecting to the Wi-Fi network can help fix random internet connection errors on the device. 

  • To do this, head over to your iPhone Settings-> Wi-Fi menu and then turn the Wi-Fi switch OFF and ON. This is the traditional way to refresh wireless connections and eliminates minor internet flaws.

Performing the Airplane mode trick is also another potential solution that you can try on. This tweak can help rectify random errors affecting wireless service including Wi-Fi and cellular connections.

  • To do so, go to Settings-> Airplane Mode menu and then turn the Airplane mode switch ON.

Reboot/soft reset the iPhone while Airplane mode is on to errant system cache. After rebooting, go back to Settings-> Airplane mode menu and then toggle to turn the feature OFF.

Give it a few moments to re-establish wireless network connection and then reconnect to Wi-Fi or Cellular Data to get back online.

Solution #3: Manage iPhone restrictions.

If content & privacy restrictions are enabled on the iPhone, there are certain files or content that are not allowed to load up on the phone.

To make sure that this isn’t the reason why you cannot load certain pictures on your device, try to disable this feature on your iPhone settings temporarily.

Just follow these steps:
  • Open Settings.
  • Find and then tap Screen Time.
  • Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions on the Screen Time menu.
  • Turn off the switch next to Content & Privacy Restrictions.

After turning off Content & Privacy restrictions, retry loading pictures and see it works. 

fix iphone 13 wont load photos ios15 manage restrictions

If you don’t want to totally disable the feature, you can manage individual settings for Allowed apps, iTunes & App Store purchases and more.

You can refer to a separate post to learn more about how to manage content & privacy restrictions on the iPhone 13.

Solution #4: Optimize iPhone storage.

Low memory or insufficient storage space may also be the main reason as to why you won’t be able to load iPhone photos or add new media files including pictures. To clear this out, care to check your iPhone’s storage. 

fix iphone 13 wont load photos ios15 optimize storage
Here’s how it’s done:
  • Open the Settings app.
  • Tap General.
  • Select iPhone Storage.

On the next screen, you will see a more detailed view of the current storage status of your device.

Review the storage details and see how much is the available storage left on the device. If it’s lower than 3 gigabytes, consider deleting old and unwanted contents to free up some space for new files to allocate.

You can delete the apps that you’re no longer using, old messages, photos, videos and other unwanted contents.

Offloading unused and problematic apps is also deemed among other recommended solutions to optimizing storage.

Offloading deletes the app without removing the app’s data and related documents.

Solution #5: Install pending software updates.

Software updates rolled out by software developers also embed essential patches to get rid of any transpiring software bugs from an iOS device.

fix iphone 13 wont load photos ios15 update software
If you haven’t enabled auto-update, then you better check for any available software updates first. 
  • To do this, head over to your iPhone Settings-> General-> Software update menu and then follow the onscreen instructions to check for new updates to download and install.

You can also use iTunes to manually update or restore your iPhone through a computer. 

Don’t forget to reboot your iPhone after updating to ensure that all recent software changes are properly implemented. A post-update restart is also necessary to refresh apps and system services following the recent system upgrade.

Solution #6: Reset all settings.

If none of the prior solutions worked and you would want to troubleshoot further, then performing iOS resets would be the next option.

fix iphone 13 wont load photos ios15 resetallsettings

There are different types of reset available on an iPhone. But the most applicable is the option to reset all settings.

Performing this reset deletes all recent custom changes made to your iPhone settings including recent network changes, app preferences, network settings, keyboard dictionary, privacy settings, location services and other relevant information without affecting any user data.

If you need help, just follow these steps to reset all settings on your iPhone 13:
  • First, tap Settings from the Home screen to open the Settings app.
  • On the settings app menu, tap General.
  • Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone to continue.
  • On the next menu, tap Reset.
  • Then, tap Reset all settings from the available reset options.
  • Enter your device passcode if prompted.
  • Read the final warning then tap Reset settings to confirm.

Wait for the phone to finish resetting all settings and reboots when done.

Note that this process also reset network settings on the iPhone so after it reboots, you will need to set up Wi-Fi and reconnect to the network like the first time. 

Re-enabling necessary features and applications, particularly those that are disabled by default is also needed. You also need to re-assign default apps to process certain file types and data protocols.

Any transpiring flaws tied to some settings conflicts are likely to be rectified as all default values and options are restored.

Still unable to load images on your iPhone 13?

If none of the given solutions worked and your iPhone still fails to load pictures, try loading a different image file from a different source. Doing so will help you determine whether or not it’s an isolated issue with a certain image file or source.

If that doesn’t work either, then try loading the problematic image on a different application. Note that apps do have specific supported file types. Thus, any unsupported content won’t be processed or viewed through a certain application. 

If pictures are not loading only when using the iPhone Safari browser but other browsers work, then try clearing the Safari app’s cache and browsing history. This could be just a random flaw from errant cache, cookies and browsing data from the Safari app storage.

Using a VPN connection is also a potential solution, if the image source only allows download requests from specific regions. If the file source finds out that your IP address is listed among the unauthorized regions, then your device would be barred from downloading the file. With a VPN, your IP address cannot be tracked because it’s masked. This however is just a temporary solution as there are some sources who are still able to block unauthorized site access including those on a virtual private network.

Seek More Help

If none of the given workarounds is able to fix photos that won’t load on the iPhone 13, then you can ask for further assistance in performing more advanced solutions and recommendations.

You may opt to escalate the problem to Apple Support if it occurs after installing the latest iOS update on your new iPhone. This might be another type of iOS bug that requires a dedicated patch as a permanent solution.

Please keep posted for more comprehensive iOS tutorials and troubleshooting guides on this site. Or you can check out this YouTube channel to view more comprehensive tutorial and troubleshooting videos including recent iOS devices.

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1 thought on “How to Fix Pictures won’t Load on iPhone 13”

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