iPhone 16 Pro photographic styles can't be edited after photo taken BUG

[bluedoggiant]

I'm on 18.1 and experiencing an issue I've had since Sept 20 with my 16 Pro.

Completely randomly, I sometimes cannot edit photographic styles in Photos even if the photo very obviously has the photographic style applied and is listed in the meta data. Not night mode photos, not Live Photos, not any special mode photos, just regular photos with any of the cameras. It's completely random. Sometimes I can edit, sometimes I can't.

More often lately, most of the photos I am taking clearly have a photographic style applied (and in metadata) but cannot edit.  has not listed any exception to this feature so I am confused and wondering why more people aren't talking about this bug.

I know I'm not the only one, how many people have noticed this? I might have noticed it more in photos with a lot of reds.

Attaching photos. While I'm at it, so weird how if you screenshot the edit screen, the photo looks washed out where it doesn't in real life. Oddness

 

[vizzerx]

Have you tried to disable Apple Intelligence?

I face same issue that suddenly all pictures I take cannot change photographic style. I tried every setting still not working until I disable the Apple Intelligence setting and enable again. Now it’s working!!!.

I think this is the bug of iOS 18.1. For old pictures that taken with this bug still cannot apply style.

 

[JBinPDX]

Yes. See my post here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/camera-problem-new-styles-not-available-consistently.2441403/

As you said, it’s completely random. It will be OK for a while… and then not. I don’t think it has anything to do with Apple Intelligence. I’ve been having issues since 18.0.1.

 

[JBinPDX]

Here’s an example from today. I reported this through Apple Feedback. I was really hoping it would be fixed with 18.1.

 

[bradman83]

I noticed it was doing it to me and I do think Apple Intelligence had something to do with it. Photographic styles were working fine for pictures I took during a walk in the park yesterday, but after I used the Clean Up tool for the first time suddenly all the pictures I took didn't have the ability to edit the style after shooting.

Oddly enough simply restarting my phone solved it. I did a test shot and new photos have the photographic style information embedded in it to edit. Photos I took during the "blackout" period between first using Clean Up and restarting still do not have the style information, so I suspect the metadata was never saved to the file (also evidenced by the fact that the affected photos lack the style data when opened on my Mac and iPad).

Curious if your experience with this also correlates to enabling Clean Up for the first time and if you've tried a restart.

EDIT: Just to be clear, the issues popped up on all photos I took after using Clean Up for the first time (there was a whole download/initialization process). It happened on photos regardless of whether Clean Up was used on the image or not. Post-restart the styles are available on all photos including ones I've used Clean Up on.

 

[JBinPDX]

I noticed it was doing it to me and I do think Apple Intelligence had something to do with it. Photographic styles were working fine for pictures I took during a walk in the park yesterday, but after I used the Clean Up tool for the first time suddenly all the pictures I took didn't have the ability to edit the style after shooting.

Oddly enough simply restarting my phone solved it. I did a test shot and new photos have the photographic style information embedded in it to edit. Photos I took during the "blackout" period between first using Clean Up and restarting still do not have the style information, so I suspect the metadata was never saved to the file (also evidenced by the fact that the affected photos lack the style data when opened on my Mac and iPad).

Curious if your experience with this also correlates to enabling Clean Up for the first time and if you've tried a restart.

EDIT: Just to be clear, the issues popped up on all photos I took after using Clean Up for the first time (there was a whole download/initialization process). It happened on photos regardless of whether Clean Up was used on the image or not. Post-restart the styles are available on all photos including ones I've used Clean Up on.

I don't think I've even used Clean Up. But I restarted my phone this morning, just for grins, before heading to the farmers market. No dice. Two pictures that I took 5 minutes apart both have styles available. A picture I took in between those two does not have styles but only the old-style filters. All three photos were taken with the same lighting on the same side of the same vendor's booth. Two of them were side by side, and had the same colors, even. Of all of the photos I took at the market, I'm guessing it was about 50/50 whether styles were available. And I don't see anything different between the photos that have it and the photos that don't. The photos that don't have it say they do. Lying jerks.

 

[bluedoggiant]

Yeah this bug has been present since Sept 20 on all public releases of iOS 18 so far.

Like I said it happens regardless of lens, mode, white balance metering, or really anything. I’ve even tried to frame photos for 3-5 seconds before shooting to see if it makes a difference

The most frustrating thing, in my testing, is I took two photos, one after another with different styles, both obviously applied and in meta data, and neither editable.

I can also confirm equal behavior on my Mac or iPad. Some photos I can edit the Style on those devices, some I can’t.

Starting to feel like false advertising if these styles are not editable after the fact as promised.