Send photos from iPhone to Android

How SendTheStuff will get your photos onto an Android phone

SendTheStuff will run in Safari on your iPhone, so there's no app for either of you. You'll pick photos straight from your library, a single shot or a whole trip's worth. They'll travel as files rather than picture messages, so no carrier gets the chance to squeeze them.

• A big batch: SendTheStuff will take up to 1,000 files and 5 GB in one free transfer.
• Getting the link to them: SendTheStuff will hand you Copy, Email, Messages and Share buttons. Tapping Messages will drop the link into your chat like any other text.
• On their Android phone: SendTheStuff's link will open in Chrome or any other browser. Its download page will show each photo, iPhone HEIC shots included, before they save them.
• Your storage: SendTheStuff won't touch your iCloud or Google storage. SendTheStuff's link will work for 14 days, then the photos will be deleted.

Why photos sent to Android come out blurry

Two things change between your iPhone and an Android phone. The first is the kind of message. Between iPhones, Messages uses iMessage, which Apple says sends high resolution photos and videos in blue bubbles. To an Android phone, it sends RCS or SMS/MMS instead, and Apple shows both in green bubbles.

• RCS needs iOS 18 or later and a carrier that supports it. Apple says it sends high resolution photos and videos to Apple and non-Apple devices. The switch is at Settings > Apps > Messages > RCS Messaging.
• MMS is the old picture message. Apple says your carrier may set size limits, and your iPhone can compress photos to fit. Google adds that carriers compress MMS messages, which can hurt image quality.

So the color of the bubble alone won't tell you whether your photos kept their detail. The same picture can arrive crisp for one friend and soft for another, depending on carriers and settings.

The second thing is a setting on your own phone. Settings > Apps > Messages > Low Quality Image Mode sends smaller images on purpose, to save data. If it's on, every photo you text goes out reduced.

HEIC, Most Compatible and the share sheet's Options

Your iPhone saves photos in the format chosen at Settings > Camera > Formats. High Efficiency saves HEIF files, which end in .HEIC. Most Compatible saves JPEGs, which open almost anywhere but take more room. Apple says HEIF keeps the same visual quality as JPEG in less space.

When you share, your iPhone may convert a photo for you. That can happen with AirDrop, Messages or email when the receiving device can't handle High Efficiency files. Apple says they might become a more compatible format, such as JPEG or H.264.

You can make that call yourself. In Photos, tap Share, then Options at the top of the share sheet:

Pick Most Compatible when an older phone or app on the other end won't open HEIC. Pick Current when they want the exact files, say for printing or editing.

Texting, AirDrop, shared albums or a Google Photos link

RCS and shared albums are real, free answers, and plenty of people never need more. Each still stops somewhere:

AirDrop is Apple's feature for an iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The exception is Google's Quick Share, which can receive from AirDrop on a Pixel 9 or later (excluding Pixel 9a). Other Android phones may not show up in your AirDrop list at all.

Shared albums changed in iOS 27. Choose Anyone with the Link, and the album opens on an Apple or non-Apple device, even without an Apple Account. Albums made on older versions still shrink photos to 2048 pixels on the long edge. Temporary albums need iOS 27 too, and Apple says they aren't offered in every country or region.

iCloud Link is in Apple's guide for iOS 26. There, an iCloud Link switch under Share > Options sends a link that lasts 30 days. It needs iCloud Photos turned on.

SendTheStuff will skip those conditions. It will need Safari on your iPhone and a browser on theirs, whatever the phone, and no cloud storage.

Until SendTheStuff launches

Pick the route that fits how many photos you're sending.

A few photos, by text:

1. Turn on Settings > Apps > Messages > RCS Messaging, and turn off Settings > Apps > Messages > Low Quality Image Mode.
2. In Photos, tap Select, choose the photos, tap Share, then Messages.
3. Send them to the Android user's number.

A whole album, at full resolution (iOS 27 or later):

1. Create a new shared album in Photos. Under Sharing Options, choose Anyone with the Link.
2. Turn on Make Album Temporary if it should disappear after 30 days. A temporary album holds up to 5,000 photos and videos.
3. Add the photos. For a whole collection, tap Select, then Select All, then Share.
4. Open Manage Shared Album > Invite Participants, tap Copy Album Link, and text them the link.

Through Google:

1. Install Google Photos on your iPhone and let it back up the photos you want to send.
2. Select them, tap Share, then Get link.
3. Paste the link into Messages. Google says anyone can view them even if they don't use the Google Photos app.

Standing next to someone with a new Pixel: they set Quick Share to Everyone for 10 minutes or open Receive mode. Then AirDrop the photos as usual.

What the Android user sees

SendTheStuff's link will open a plain page in their browser, with each photo shown and a button to save them. Until it launches, it depends on the route:

• RCS or MMS: the photos land in their Google Messages chat, at whatever quality the carrier let through.
• Quick Share from AirDrop: received files go to Files > Downloads > Quick Share on the Pixel.
• A shared album link: it opens in their browser, where they can view the album and add to it.
• A Google Photos link: it opens in the browser, or in Google Photos if they have it.

Live Photos arrive as stills. Apple says devices that don't support Live Photos get a still photo. If the movement matters, send that moment as a video instead.

HEIC files may need a second try. If a photo won't open on their phone or in an app they use, share it again with Most Compatible under Options.

Photos they send back: in Google Messages, HD+ sends original quality, while HD is tuned to send faster with less data.

Location and other details inside your photos

Apple says a shared photo carries its metadata, such as date and time, location, device, and captions. So a picture from your back garden can show roughly where you live. Think about that before sending photos to someone you don't know well.

• On iOS 26: Apple's guide describes a Location switch under Share > Options. Turn it off to strip the location from that share.
• All Photos Data: this goes the other way, sending the original with its edit history and metadata. Apple's iOS 27 guide says it works with AirDrop only.
• Captions travel too. A caption you typed in Photos can go along with the photo, so check it says what you'd want them to read.

When it doesn't work

• The photos arrived blurry. They went as MMS, or Settings > Apps > Messages > Low Quality Image Mode is on. Check both, then send a link instead of the photos.
• Their phone can't open the file. It's probably HEIC. Share it again with Most Compatible, and it may go as a JPEG.
• A Live Photo lost its movement. That's expected on Android. Send the moment as a video if the motion matters.
• The Pixel doesn't appear in AirDrop. Google names a Pixel 9 or later (excluding Pixel 9a) for this. Check that their Quick Share is visible to everyone or in Receive mode, and that you're standing together.
• The shared album shows small photos. It was probably created before iOS 27. Make a new album to get full resolution.