Learn 11 Effective And Real Solutions To Fix GIFs Not Working Issue On iPhone!
GIFs (Graphics Interchange Format) are animated pictures that you find on the internet, especially as social media memes. These Gifs are used in social media apps while chatting. On iPhone, you have option to save the GIFs and view them in the Gallery app. And you can send them directly in iMessage.
But sometimes GIFs don’t work on iPhone. If you are also facing this problem and wish to solve it then read this guide. Here, you will get all the possible solutions to fix GIFs not working on iPhone.
Before discussing the solutions, let us first know why GIFs are not working on iPhone.
Why GIFs Not Working On iPhone?
There could be multiple reasons due to which GIFs do not work on iPhone. This issue occurs due to a software problem, therefore you don’t need to panic about any damage to your device.
Here are some of the reasons which can trigger this problem on iPhone.
- If you have a poor internet connection then the GIFs will not work on your iPhone.
- When your iPhone is not updated to the latest iOS then it can lead to many problems including GIFs not working.
- If your iPhone has not enough storage space.
Now, without wasting time, we will directly go to the solutions to fix GIFs not working on iPhone.
Note: All the solutions that I am going to discuss below will be applicable for all iPhone models such as iPhone X/11/12/13/XS/8/7/6/XR/XS Max and all the other models available on the market.
Also Read: How To Fix Delayed Text Messages On iPhone
Solution 1: Restart Your iPhone
You should first restart your iPhone, this will soft reset your device which automatically solves bugs on the device due to which GIFs are not working.
Solution 2: Check Internet Connection
Internet connection is very important for sanding GIFs and when is it not stable then GIFs will not work on your iPhone. Hence you are suggested to first check your internet connection.
For this, you can do a few things that are listed below:
- If you are using Wi-Fi then restart your Wi-Fi router.
- Enable and disable airplane mode on iPhone.
- Reconnect the Wi-Fi or switch to another stable Wi-Fi connection.
- Turn on mobile data or if you are using W-Fi then switch to mobile data or vice versa.
Solution 3: Close And Reopen The iMessage App
If you are using iMessage application for a long time then you can simply close the iMessage app and then reopen it and check GIFs are working on iPhone or not.
Below follow the steps to do the same.
Step 1: On your iPhone double click on Home button. This will show all the recently used apps.
Step 2: Now find iMessage app and swipe it upwards to close it.
Step 3: After a few seconds, open the iMessage app again and check whether the issues are solved or not.
Solution 4: Check Storage Space
Check that you have enough storage space on your iPhone. Because if you don’t have sufficient storage/memory then it can cause GIFs not working problem. If you find low storage then make some storage space by clearing the cache.
Here are the steps to do the same.
Step 1: On your iPhone, open the Settings app.
Step 2: Find Safari and open it.
Step 3: After this, hit on “Clear History and Website Data”.
Step 4: Then confirm to clear the cache.
Solution 5: Re-add #images
If GIFs not working on iPhone then to fix it you can re-add #images. This is a simple method to fix the issue.
To do this, open the Message app and then open the app drawer and tap on “+” icon in the Message interface. After this, choose “Manage” option. At last, hit to remove #images and re-add it.
Solution 6: Reset Language & Region
As you know that #image is provided by Apple and it is the country-specific function on iPhone. If the region settings are wrong that it can cause GIFS from working properly. If you live in a country that provides this feature to be used then you can easily modify the region of your country. Or you can select America as a region and English as a language, it is an additional method.
Below, follow the steps to reset language and region.
Step 1: Open Settings and then scroll down and select General.
Step 2: After this, tap on Language & Region.
Once you reset it, go back to the home screen to make sure whether the issue is solved or not.
Solution 7: Turn Off Reduce Motion Function
Reduce Motion disabled screen movement or motion effects on iPhone that helps to save battery while using smartphone. Though, this feature can also reduce specific functions on your iPhone.
When Reduce Motion is turned on then animation and effects in some apps are disabled and that is why GIFs are not working on your iPhone. Hence, disable Reduce Motion as it can let GIFs to work properly on iPhone.
Below, follow the steps to do the same.
Step 1: Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
Step 2: After this, hit on General.
Step 3: Under General, choose Accessibility.
Step 4: Now, scroll down and tap on “Reduce Motion”.
Step 5: If it is turned on, then toggle off “Reduce Motion”.
Once you turned it off, check the problem is resolved or not.
Solution 8: Enable #images
To use GIFs on your iPhone, you need to enable #images feature on your iOS device. Sometimes, this feature is off by default due to which #images not work. So, check it and if it is off then enable it before using it.
To enable it, you need to head to Settings > Cellular and then tap on #images to enable it.
Solution 9: Update Your iPhone
If your iPhone is not updated to the latest version of iOS then it can also cause many problems including GIFs not working. In this case, you need to check update for your iPhone and if you find the latest update then install it immediately.
Below follow the steps to update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS.
Step 1: Go to Settings > General.
Step 2: After this, tap on Software Update.
Step 3: Now, hit on Download and Install button to install the update.
Also Read: How To Fix Hulu Not Working On iPad
Solution 10: Factory Reset Your iPhone
As a last resort you can factory reset your iPhone, but remember that it will erase all your device data. Hence, you are recommended to backup all important files to a safe place and then factory reset your iPhone.
Below, follow the simple steps to factory reset your iPhone to fix GIFs not working issue on iPhone.
Step 1: On your iPhone, open the Settings app and then hit on General.
Step 2: After this, hit on Reset option.
Step 3: Now, tap on Erase all content and settings.
Step 4: At last, tap on “Erase iPhone”.
Note: You can also restore your iPhone to factory settings using iTunes.
Solution 11: Use A GIF App
If factory reset also failed to fix the problem then you can use other GIF apps. There are many GIFs apps available in App Store. GIPHY is one of the famous GIF apps that you can use to find GIFs, download them, and send them inside the iMessage app.
So, simply go to App Store and install GIF app that you like and use it for sending GIFs.
Wrap Up
After following the solutions discussed in this guide, you will able to fix GIFs not working on iPhone. Firstly, you should follow the simple solutions like checking internet connection, restart the iPhone, etc. and then move to the harder one.

Max Field
Max Field is a founder of recoveriphone-data.com. He is an iOS lover and loves to write tips, tricks, fixes for errors, data recovery solutions and more related to iOS, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, iTunes and iCloud.