Apple may soon make it easier for iPhone users to upload photos to third-party apps

Apple is expected to address an issue iPhone users face when uploading photos to third-party apps with the upcoming iOS 26.1 update. Once this update is rolled out, users will no longer need to keep the app open for the upload to complete. Currently, only Apple's Photos app can reliably back up pictures to the cloud even when the app is not in the foreground. The update comes as file uploads and automatic media backups to third-party apps and cloud services have been unreliable on iPhones. Many apps require users to keep them open until the upload completes. This means users have to monitor a progress bar instead of using their iPhone for other tasks.

When users close the app mid-upload, it pauses after a few minutes and resumes only when they reopen it. According to a report by 9to5Mac, Apple will address this limitation with iOS 26.1.

The company is expected to launch a new Background Resource Upload extension as part of PhotoKit with iOS 26's next update. This will enable photo apps to upload media to the cloud in the background.


What Apple said about this issue


Apple’s official documentation notes that “the system manages uploads on your app’s behalf and processes them in the background even when people switch to other apps or lock their devices.”

The framework is currently in beta and is expected to launch with iOS 26.1. Developers will need to update their apps to use the new extension, so background photo uploads may not function consistently immediately after the update.

After years of user feedback, Apple is addressing a long-standing limitation in iPhone photo uploads.