How to Share a Photo or Video From Your Smartphone

3. If you don’t see the desired app listed, scroll to the right to see more options. Still not there? Tap More at the end and select the app.

4. If you selected Mail or Messages, the app will open with your photo and video attached. Type a message to accompany your image and tap Send.

Note: You may be asked what size photo to send because bigger files take up more data or you may get notified if your video file is too large. 

To add photos or videos to a conversation in progress:

1. In Messages, tap the plus sign + to the left of the chat window and select Photos. The same steps apply to apps like WhatsApp. Facebook Messenger may show a small photo or photo frame to attach an image.

2. In Mail, type out a message, such as “Check out this pic from the party!” and press and hold inside the message window. Tap Insert Photo or Video. If you don’t see that option, tap the little greater than sign > to the right in the bubble that pops up to find the phrase. The less than sign < in the gray area above the keyboard will reveal a photo icon in the second from the left spot.

3. Select what you want to share as you would in the Photos app, X out of Photos in the upper right of that section and continue with your text message or email.

Sharing photos, videos on Android phones

Whether your Android is a Google Pixel, Motorola Moto, Samsung or other smartphone, the process of sharing a photo, video or multiple images is similar to an iPhone. You can go through your main photos app or email, text message or social media direct message.

1. Open your preferred photo gallery, such as Google Photos or Samsung Gallery on Samsung devices.

2. You’ll see thumbnails of your photos and videos organized with labels such as Albums, Library, Search and Stories. The choices will vary based on your phone and photo app.

3. Tap a photo or video clip you want to share and tap the Android version of the Share icon, which looks like two angled lines coming from a small circle at the left that connect to two other small circles at the right. It’s usually near the bottom of the screen.

4. Select the app you want to share the photo or video to from the list presented. If you don’t see the app you want, select More or the horizontal ellipsis ⋯ .

5. Once you select an app, such as Gmail or Facebook Messenger, start typing the recipient’s name to send the image.

6. To share more than one photo or video, press and hold on each thumbnail until a check mark appears for each image in the corner. Tap Share, choose which app you want to use and add the recipient’s name. In Google Photos, you can also create a link to images and paste it into email, a text or social media direct message such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp.

Alternatively, you can grab photos or videos to share while you’re in a conversation.

1. When chatting with someone in an app, look for the + sign or photo icon, depending on the app you’re in. Choose Gallery or Photos and select the image you want to send. In Gmail or another email application, it may be a paperclip. Return to the app you were in. In Samsung Gallery, you can tap the less than sign < in the top left corner. The app will notify you if the file is too large.

2. Finish your message and tap Send.