ExifTool for iPhone: View and Remove Photo Metadata on iOS
Every photo your iPhone takes stores more than the picture. Inside the file sits a block of metadata: when it was taken, which iPhone and lens, the exposure settings and, if Location Services is on for the Camera, the exact spot where you stood. That is useful in your own library and risky when the file leaves it.
ExifTool, our metadata viewer and editor built on Phil Harvey’s ExifTool, is now available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad, alongside the Android version on Google Play. This post introduces what it does and how to use it to check and clean photos before you share them.
If you are new to the topic, our explainer on what EXIF data is and why it matters covers the basics. It is written for Android, but the privacy points apply to any phone.
What metadata an iPhone photo carries
A typical iPhone photo, often saved as HEIC, can include:
- Date and time of capture, plus modified dates
- Device and lens: iPhone model and which camera was used
- Exposure settings: ISO, shutter speed, aperture, flash
- GPS latitude and longitude, when location is enabled for the Camera
- Software used to edit the file
Related standards, IPTC and XMP, can add captions, keywords, author and copyright notes. Videos and audio files carry their own metadata as well.
What iOS already gives you
Before installing anything, it is worth knowing what iOS does on its own:
- Photos info panel. Open a photo and swipe up, or tap the (i) button, to see the date, camera, lens and a map if location was saved. You can adjust the location or remove it for that photo.
- Share sheet options. When you share from Photos, tap Options at the top of the share sheet to turn off location for that share.
- Camera location setting. In Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Camera, you can set location access to Never so new photos are not geotagged.
These cover the common case. What they do not give you is the full list of tags, editing of fields other than date and location, or a way to clean many photos at once.
What ExifTool adds on iPhone and iPad
ExifTool is built for the cases where a summary is not enough:
- Read every tag: EXIF, GPS, IPTC, XMP, JFIF, MakerNotes, ICC Profile, ID3 and more
- Edit metadata, including dates and other fields
- GeoTag editor to add or change a photo’s GPS location
- Remove all metadata (EXIF, XMP, GPS) in one tap before sharing
- Batch editing across many files at once
- Export metadata to CSV for records or analysis
- Support for images such as JPG, HEIC, WEBP, RAW and PSD, videos such as MP4 and MOV, and audio such as MP3 and FLAC
Files are processed on your device and are not uploaded to us. The app is free and ad-supported.
How to view a photo’s metadata
- Install ExifTool from the App Store and open it.
- Allow access to your photos when iOS asks. You can grant full access or limit it to selected photos.
- Pick a photo.
- Scroll through the tag list. GPS fields, camera details and dates are shown alongside the less visible tags that the Photos app hides.
This is the quickest way to answer “does this file reveal where I live?” before you send it.
How to remove metadata before sharing
- Open the photo in ExifTool.
- Choose to remove all metadata, or delete just the GPS tags if you want to keep camera details.
- Save the cleaned copy.
- Share the cleaned copy rather than the original.
- Open the cleaned copy again in ExifTool to confirm the location fields are gone.
Removing only GPS is a good middle ground for photographers who want to keep exposure data but not their location. For larger sets, see our step-by-step guide to batch removing GPS location from photos.
When to clean photos on iPhone
Some apps strip metadata from the copy they publish, but you should not rely on it. Clean files yourself when you:
- sell items on a marketplace and photograph them at home
- send original files by email, cloud links or AirDrop to people you do not know well
- post photos of your children, your car or your front door
- share work photos where the location of a site is confidential
When to keep metadata
Stripping everything is not always right. Capture dates keep your library in order, and camera settings help when you are learning photography. Copyright and author fields can help show a photo is yours. Keep the original in your library and share a cleaned copy instead.
ExifTool on Android too
The same app is available on Google Play, with batch editing, a GeoTag editor, date fixing from file names and one-tap metadata removal. If you also convert media on Android, Total Media Converter handles formats such as HEIC to JPG. Our guide to converting HEIC to JPG on Android explains how.
Summary
- iPhone photos carry date, device, settings and often GPS location.
- iOS lets you see a summary and remove location per photo or per share.
- ExifTool shows every tag, edits them and wipes metadata in one tap.
- Keep originals, share cleaned copies.
Get ExifTool on the App Store or Google Play and check your next photo before it leaves your phone.
FAQ
Is ExifTool available for iPhone and iPad?
Yes. ExifTool is available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad, and on Google Play for Android.
Doesn't the iPhone Photos app already show metadata?
Photos shows a summary such as date, camera, lens and location, and lets you change or remove the location. A metadata app shows the full set of EXIF, GPS, IPTC and XMP tags and lets you remove them from the file itself.
Does removing metadata change how the photo looks?
No. Metadata lives in the file alongside the image data, so removing or editing it does not change the pixels.
Quickly view, modify or remove EXIF, GPS, IPTC and XMP data from photos, video and audio on Android. Free and offline-capable.