NOTHING IS UPLOADED — OPEN YOUR NETWORK TAB AND WATCH

Which apps strip
your metadata

Some platforms re-encode images and drop everything. Others pass the file through untouched. The difference is whether you sent a photo or a file.

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The rule that actually predicts the answer

If a platform re-compresses your image to save bandwidth, metadata is usually lost as a side effect. If it treats your upload as a file to be delivered intact, everything survives. This is why the same app can behave in two different ways depending on which button you press.

Sending as a photo versus sending as a document

In most messengers, attaching an image through the gallery picker compresses it and strips most metadata. Attaching the same image through the document or file option delivers the original bytes, GPS and all. People reach for the document option precisely when quality matters, which is exactly when the original metadata is intact.

Email and cloud links do nothing at all

An email attachment is delivered byte for byte. A link to a file in cloud storage serves the original file. Neither strips anything, and neither warns you. These are the routes most often used for a CV, a contract or a scan of a document, which are also the files most likely to carry a name.

Do not rely on the platform

Behaviour changes between app versions without announcement, and differs by platform and region. If it matters, strip it yourself before you send it, and then it does not matter what the platform does.

Common questions

Does WhatsApp remove EXIF from photos?

Sending an image through the photo picker generally re-compresses it and drops most metadata. Sending the same image as a document delivers the original file intact.

Does Instagram strip EXIF data?

Instagram re-encodes uploads, which removes the original EXIF from what is published. That does not help with a file you send to someone directly.

Does email remove metadata from attachments?

No. Attachments are delivered exactly as they were attached.

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