You can send videos and photos via Messages on Apple devices since iOS 3 was launched. To do that you just need to tap on the camera icon and choose the photos or videos that you want to send. With iOS 12, things have changed. However, this doesn’t mean, it is completely disabled.
With iOS 12, in Messages when you tap on the camera icon, it launches the camera of your iPhone to capture a new picture or video. You can click photos or shoot videos using Apple’s amazing camera effects, add shapes, sticker packs and much more. The only thing that is lacking the ability to access Photo Library in Messages.
How Can You Get to Photo Library in Messages App?
As you can’t directly access Photos app, so you go to App Drawer in Messages. The App Drawer was introduced with iOS 11. It has iMessage apps, stickers and more which you have on your iPhone. So, you can also find “Photos” app in that App Drawer list.
Follow these steps to access photo library in Messages:
- You can access Photos app in the App Drawer. To access Photos app, you need to tap on App Store icon located next to the camera button.
- As App Drawer opens, look for Photos icon (mostly the first option in the list)
Note: The photos and videos added via this method, will not be able to use the camera effects.
- Photos app shows the images and videos stored in reverse-chronological order.
- You can browse pictures and videos and choose whichever you have to send by tapping on it.
- The content will then be added to your chat box.
- If you add any of the photos mistakenly, you can remove them by clicking on X.
- In addition to this, you can also check suggestions made by Siri by swiping up the gray bar.
Note: Suggestions will only come up when and if iCloud Photos is enabled.
Alternative Method:
If this doesn’t work for you, you have searched for all feeds or checked the suggestions and still haven’t found what you want to then follow these steps:
- Tap “All Photos” to get Photos library.
- Now choose image or video that you want.
Note: You can only choose one image or video at a time. So, if you have to send multiple photos or videos, it can be a troublesome task.
So, this is the way in which you can access photo library in messages and send them to your friends or family on iOS 12. There is still time in iOS 12 launch, so you can use 11.4 and send photos like earlier or if you have installed iOS 12, you can downgrade it when you can.