iCloud Photos fail to download for sharing or app use on iPhone

I’m currently having some issues with iCloud Photos. I store all my photos in iCloud and have the settings adjusted to optimize storage for my iPhone, but I run into problems when I want to share photos with others or use them in various apps, such as LINE. When selecting images, they aren't immediately ready to send; normally, it takes just a few seconds to load them from iCloud. However, there have been significant issues lately where the photos fail to send altogether, suggesting a problem with downloading them from iCloud. I didn't really have any issues before, as I've been using it this way for over five years—with 2TB of iCloud storage that still isn't full—but iOS 27 has been extremely problematic. Is there anyone who can solve the problem?

Posted on Oct 8, 2026 2:16 AM

1 reply

Richard.Taylor

Level 7 (25,466 points)

Oct 8, 2026 7:17 AM in response to Kevin_TH

How are you sharing pictures? Is it from the Photos Share menu?

Going into Edit mode for a picture forces a download, even if you don't edit. Doing that first would separate the downloading and the sending, so maybe that would provide some information. Try doing Edit for the pictures you want to send, and then sharing them. Does that seem better?