Metadata Remover
App by app
Behaviour last checked in September 2026. Apps change how they handle attachments, so treat the table as a starting point and use the test at the end of this page for anything that matters.
| App | Sent as a photo | Sent as a file or document | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| iMessage and Messages (iPhone) | Keeps everything, including GPS | Keeps everything | The share sheet's Options → Location switch removes only the coordinates and resets every time. Photos taken with the camera button inside Messages carry no location. |
| Removes EXIF; the photo is re-encoded, HD quality included | Keeps everything | Choosing Document sends the original bytes. | |
| Telegram | Removes EXIF (compressed photo) | Keeps everything | Same split: Send as file preserves the original. |
| Signal | Removes EXIF | Files chosen through the file picker are not modified | One of the few messengers that strips by default in both directions. |
| Instagram, Facebook, Threads, X, Reddit | Removed from the copy viewers can download | Not applicable | Your original upload stays on the platform's servers under its own retention rules. |
| Discord | Removed from images uploaded inline | Keeps everything for arbitrary files | Verify with the test below; behaviour has changed over the years. |
| Slack | Keeps everything | Keeps everything | Files are stored and served as uploaded. |
| Email (Mail, Gmail, Outlook) | Keeps everything | Keeps everything | An attachment is the file itself. On iPhone, the Mail share sheet offers the same Location switch as Messages. |
| AirDrop | Keeps everything | Keeps everything | Options → All Photos Data can additionally send the unedited original and edit history. Switch both off. |
| Google Photos shared links and albums | Recipients can download originals with metadata | Not applicable | Settings → Sharing → Hide photo location data removes location from items shared by link. Dates and device stay. |
| Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud Drive | Keeps everything | Keeps everything | They are file stores; a shared link hands over the exact file. |
Why "as a photo" and "as a file" behave differently
When a messenger sends something as a photo, it usually decodes the image, resizes or recompresses it, and writes a fresh file. The metadata blocks are not carried across because the app never copied them. When you send the same picture as a file or document, the app treats it as an opaque blob and delivers the original bytes, EXIF and all. That is why the same app can be safe in one mode and not in the other, and why HD or original quality options are worth a second look: WhatsApp's HD mode still re-encodes, but a document never does.
What "stripped for viewers" really means
Instagram, Facebook and similar services remove EXIF from the versions they serve to other people, which protects you from strangers reading your coordinates. It does not mean the platform discarded the information. The file you uploaded, with its location and device fields, is stored under the platform's own policies, and depending on the service it can be visible to the platform, used for features such as memories or location suggestions, or included in a data export. Cleaning a photo before you upload it is the only way to keep that data out of the platform entirely.
The iMessage detail most people miss
Apple's share sheet has an Options row above the photo previews. Inside it, Location can be switched off, and the shared copy then has no GPS block. Three things limit how useful that is. It removes only the coordinates; date, time, device model, lens, serial numbers and software fields are all still there. It does not persist, so it has to be switched off for every share. And it only appears when you start from the Photos app; if you attach a picture from inside Messages, the photo goes out with its location unless you took it with the in-conversation camera. Removing location from photos on iPhone and Android covers the settings that stop location being recorded in the first place.
How to test any app yourself
- Pick a photo that definitely has location. Take one with the normal camera app while location is allowed, or check an existing one with the browser checker and confirm it reports GPS coordinates.
- Send it through the app to a second device or account you control. Use the same method you would use with someone else: as a photo, or as a file, or through a share sheet.
- Save the copy that arrived. Use the app's own save or download action, not a screenshot. A screenshot is a new image and would show nothing either way.
- Drop the received copy into the checker. Whatever it reports is what the other person receives. Repeat with the other sending mode if the app has one.
The approach that works everywhere
Rather than remembering which mode of which app is safe, clean the photo once and then send it anywhere. The checker on this site does that for a JPEG, PNG or WebP without uploading it. The iPhone and Android app does the same for the photos in your library, including HEIC, can handle several at a time with Pro, and sits in the share sheet so a photo can be cleaned on the way into Messages, Mail or any other app.
