iPhone camera roll missing could change the way you manage photos. Before iOS 15/14/13, photos taken by the camera app, pictures downloaded via iPhone or Airdrop received from friends are stored in the album called Camera Roll; while pictures synced from computer have their own dedicated albums. Now the revamped photos App have a different layout, changing the way to manage photos to some extent. Users seeking help in forum explained their dilemma:
Photos from different sources mixed together on iOS 15/14/13
"Is there a way to bring back camera roll in photos? Yes, I know that everything is now listed in photos (days/months/etc) but the thing is this merges all the photos from all your albums, hence it is quite a bit different than the actual camera roll album we had before. Is there a way to bring this back?"
"This is really killing my love for iOS 15/14/13. I don't use or want to use iCloud photos and I need the camera roll for the way I manage my photos. Now it's all a huge mess mixed in with everything I've synced."
Where Is Camera Roll on iOS 15/14/13? Can I Bring It Back?
On iOS 15/14/13, the All Photos tab is not the same as Camera Roll. All Photos tab includes photos generated by on the device and synced from a computer via iTunes, Finder or other tools.
If you want to preview photos captured by the camera App or saved directly by iPhone, you can navigate to Albums > Recents. It won't display pictures synced from iTunes or Finder, making it easy to quickly find photo snaps.
Camera Roll Missing: Photo Sort by Date Created Not by Date Added
All Photos tab sorts your pictures by date taken, i.e., based on EXIF data that records the timestamp of a photo being taken. If now you import an old photo from 2017, or your friend Airdrop you an old photo, you have to scroll all the way back to that day to locate your photo, despite the fact you just ADD or Airdrop receive it today.
To sum it up:
- If you shot the photo long time ago, for instance in 2017, you have to locate it in 2017.
- If you copy and paste that 2017 photo before importing into iPhone, you can find it the recent location. Because when you paste it, iPhone think it is created just now.
How to View Photos in Camera Roll on iOS 15/14/13 - Best Workaround
You know the pain to fumbling around for one photo out of thousands of pictures in your photos app, not to mention the occasionally crashing on iOS 15/14/13 earlier versions.
If you want to preview and backup photos in a well organized way, such as by Camera Roll albums, by media type (selfies, live photos, portrait, GIFs, screenshots, slo-mo, time-lapse), you can nail it on a larger screen stably and rapidly.
The Tools we need:
- DearMob iPhone Manager, a iOS content management tool to explore and transfer iPhone data including photos, videos, songs, books, contacts, ringtones, messages, etc.
- Data cable that comes with your iPhone
- Windows or Mac computer
Step 1: Plug in your iPhone, unlock iPhone screen, download and launch DearMob iPhone Manager.
Step 2: Enter Photos from main screen. On the left side bar, you can browse photos by clicking on Camera Roll, Favorites, Selfies, Screenshots, etc. Photos from different resources are not mixed together.
- You can select photo and hit Export to transfer photos to computer.
- Both Edited photo and original photo will be exported.
- You can convert HEIC to JPG or remain using HEIC.
- Password-protect private photos by ticking Export with Encryption.
How to Import Photos to iPhone without Messing Up Order
Step 1. Connect your iPhone to computer, and go to Photos in DearMob iPhone Manager.
Step 2. Click the Plus icon to create a new folder. Name it so that you will know what kind of photos are inside.
Let's create a Vintage Cars album, and add all your car photo collections. Love the idea of Model T? Then you can browse them on iPhone easily.
Step 3. Drag and drop photo into this album, and hit Sync.
Don't worry, the sync button only add photos into your iPhone, it will not erase or mess up with existing data on iPhone.
Step 4. Repeat the process to create more albums to better organize photos.
Once you are done, go to photos on your iPhone, navigate to albums and scroll down, you will see albums you just created.
Apple puts synced albums under "From My Mac", even if your photos are synced from a Windows computer.
Final Words
The revamped photos app in iOS 15/14/13 brought us exciting features and novel experiences to be snap happy, however, camera roll missing could be annoying for users who won't use iCloud photos and rely on computer synced pictures. Plus, if you are experiencing other iOS 15/14/13 problems, you can resort to our round up of iOS 15/14/13 issues and solutions for a quick fix.
Free download DearMob iPhone Manager to curate your Camera Roll iPhone photos right now.
