Certain problem can occur immediately after an iOS 17 update and recently some users have reported that GIFs are not working on iPhone.
This feature is only available in some countries and if you are not in one of these countries, it may not work regardless of the steps you take.
But if GIFs were working on your iPhone and now are failing to work after an iOS update, this article offers you 10 troubleshooting tips to fix the issue.
Why Won't GIFs Work on My iPhone?
Before we suggest the solutions to fix GIFs not working on iPhone issue, we'd like to point out some of the reasons that may cause this problem:
- GIFs may not loading or showing up due to poor internet connection.
- GIFs on your iPhone can stop working after an iOS update.
- GIFs won't work when #images is disabled on your iPhone.
- GIFs may not work if your iPhone has insufficient storage space.
- Both oftware crash and physical damage can cause GIFs not working as expected.
Important Reminder: We suggest you backup all important data before attempting any of the solutions. You can use either iTunes/iCloud or third-party tool like .
10 Tips to Fix GIFs Not Working on iPhone Issue
If GIFs are not working, loading or showing up on your iPhone, check out the following effective solutions to fix the issue.
Tip 1. Disable Reduce Motion
The Reduce Motion is a function to tone down some of the animations on your iPhone. It is helpful to save your device’s battery life, however, it may reduce some of the device’s functionality such as the animated GIFs.
Here’s how to disable the Reduce Motion function and fix GIFs not loading on iPhone problem:
- Open Settings on your iPhone and then tap on General > Accessibility.
- Tap on "Reduce Motion" and toggle it off if it is enabled.
Tip 2. Turn On #images
You need to turn on #images for GIFs to work properly. To start using the GIFs, you’d better first to check if the #images function was turned off accidentally.
- On your iPhone, head to Settings > Cellular.
- Locate #images and if it turned off, turn it on.
Tip 3. Re-Add #images
Re-adding the #images might also be a good way to fix GIFs not working issue. Follow these simple steps to do it:
- Run the Messages app by clicking on its icon.
- On the Messages interface, open the app drawer and click on “+” icon.
- Now choose the “Manage” option and tap on remove #images. Then add #image again.
Tip 4. Reset iPhone's Language & Region
The #image is a country-specific function on iPhone or iPad. If you don't see #images, it is possible that you are in a region where GIFs are not supported. In this situation, you can change the region to a country that supports this feature.
- On your iPhone, go to Settings and tap on "General".
- Scroll down to "Laguage & Region" to change the settings.
Tip 5. Restart the Messages App
Restarting the Messages app is another way to get the GIFs working normally again. Here’s how to restart the app:
- Double-tap on the Home button to open the recently used apps.
- Then locate the Messages app and then swipe upwards to close it.
- Wait a few seconds and open the app again to see if the GIFs work.
Tip 6. Free Up Memory Space
If you iPhone has limited storage space, you may also experience the GIFs not working issue. In this case, you can clear the cache to free up additional space on your iPhone.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone and find the "Safari" option.
- Click on "Safari" and then choose "Clear History and Website Data".
- Then confirm to clear the cache in the popup.
Tip 7. Check Internet Connection
You might experience WhatsApp/iMessage GIFs not working problem on iPhone because of poor internet connection. To solve the internet connection issue, you can try the following steps:
- Go to Settings > Wi-Fi to turn it off, wait for several seconds and enable it again. Or you can try to connect to a different Wi-Fi network if available.
- Restart your Wi-Fi router by unplugging it from the power source and then re-plugging it in.
- If you use cellular data, you need to ensure that Cellular Data is enabled. To do that, go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data and turn it on.
- Turn on Airplane Mode on your iPhone. Wait for a minute and then turn it off again.
Tip 8. Update to the Latest iOS
Updating your device to the latest iOS 17 is one of the best ways to eliminate software glitches and bugs that could cause the GIFs not loading on iPhone problem. Here’s how to update your device:
- Open Settings on your device and then tap "General > Software Update".
- If an update is available, tap "Download and Install" and wait for the device to complete the update.
Tip 9. Factory Reset Your iPhone (Data Loss)
If the common solutions above don’t work, you may need to factory reset the iPhone. This method will work to eliminate any settings or data that could be causing the issue. Follow these simple steps to factory reset the device:
- Go to Settings > General. Tap "Reset" and then select "Erase all Contents and Settings."
- The device may ask you to save all the contents on it to iCloud. Once you’ve done that, tap "Erase Now" to begin resetting the device.
When the process is complete, set up the device again and check if the problem has been resolved. Keep in mind that this method will erase all the data and settings on your iPhone, so ensure that you've backed up your important data before doing this.
Tip 10. Fix iPhone Gifs Not Working without Data Loss
As mentioned above, some of the methods can cause data loss on your iPhone while fixing the GIFs not working issue. But there is one exception that is effective, easy to use and will protect the data on your iPhone. It is FoneGeek iOS System Recovery, which is designed to fix all iOS related issues. The program can fix the device without any data loss and you don’t have to be technically savvy to use it.
Key Features of FoneGeek iOS System Recovery:
- No Data Loss: It can help to fix iPhone GIF not working issue without the risk of losing data on iPhone.
- Fix All iOS Issues: It is a powerful iOS repair tool that can fix a variety of iOS related problems like iPhone message notification not working, iPhone call volume low, iPhone keeps switching to silent, white Apple logo, iPhone is disabled, etc.
- 2 Repair Modes: It offers Standard mode and Advanced mode to ensure the highest success rate.
- High Compatibility: It is fully compatible with all iOS devices even the newest iPhone 14/13/12. iOS 17/iPadOS 17 is also supported.
- Easy to Use: No tech knowledge is required and everyone can fix iOS system issues with a few simple clicks.
Here’s how to fix iOS 17/16 GIFs not working issue without data loss:
Step 1: Install FoneGeek iOS System Recovery on your computer and then launch the program. On the home page, click on "Standard Mode" to continue.
Step 2: Connect your iOS device to the computer using USB cable. If your device is in normal mode and running iOS 12 or later, unlock it and click on "Next".
If your iPhone cannot be detected, just follow the on-screen instructions to put it into Recovery/DFU mode.
Step 3: In the next screen, the program will detect the device model and present the necessary firmware for that device. Click on "Download" to download the firmware.
Step 4: Once the download is complete, click on "Fix Now" and the program will begin repairing the device immediately. Keep the iPhone connected to the computer until the process is complete. The device will restart and the GIFs should be working normally again.
FoneGeek iOS System recovery is very highly rated by some of the top tech blogs, such as Mobile Mall, GetDroidTips, Inspirationfeed, Techjury, Pakainfo and also highly praised by users who have used it to fix their devices.
Conclusion
The methods outlined here can be helpful when you faced with GIFs not working on iPhone issue. Select a solution that you can trust and follow the steps to fix the problem.
There is a chance you will lose some of the GIFs and images on your iPhone if you use one of the methods above to repair the device. Restoring the lost images from your iTunes or iCloud backups could cause you lose all the existing data on the device. To avoid this, try using FoneGeek iPhone Data Recovery to recover the missing GIFs and images even without backup.
