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User profile for user: eugen98
eugen98 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

iCloud downloads change EXIF data, Airdrop doesn't

The correct metadata is available for all images stored on iCloud, hence the accurate organisation in the iCloud database.

When downloading from iCloud on Mac, the EXIF data is sometimes kept for the Content creation Date, and sometimes changed to the date of the download, even when requesting to download the unmodified originals.

The same image that repeatedly downloads with changed EXIF data will download correctly via Airdrop. The process is however slower.

Any good reason why this is happening? It has been the same situation for several years now and one would have hoped it was possible for Apple to correct, at least within the ecosystem.

The problem is within iCloud as it is browser agnostic at least on the Mac.

Below is the metadata for the same image downloaded and airdropped.


Posted on Sep 1, 2024 1:37 AM

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3 replies
User profile for user: Richard.Taylor
Richard.Taylor
User level: Level 6
10,446 points

Sep 1, 2024 8:21 AM in response to eugen98

Have you actually looked at the metadata for the picture? What I see when I look at the Exif metadata for this picture downloaded from iCloud Photos


is that the File was created today (which is accurate)

but the Image was created on August 3 (also accurate..) So the metadata is exactly correct. Of course, the date you see in Finder, a File Management System, is the File Creation Date. If I import this picture to Photos, an Image Management System, or another picture viewing app like Preview, I see the Image Creation date displayed.


Is this the way it works for you?



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User profile for user: eugen98
eugen98 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Sep 1, 2024 9:45 AM in response to Richard.Taylor

Thanks Richard.


Apologies, I did not want to complicate things.


I use a utility called EXIF renamer which corrects some of the problems related to metadata management in MacOs. Specifically, using renaming tools from Automator which read the poorly reported metadata would misrepresent a proportion of the files downloaded. EXIF renamer addresses some of these errors.


So, with this utility, a percentage of the metadata errors are corrected. Still, a smaller number of downloaded files come back with incorrect metadata and it can be also checked in the EXIF readers and EXIF renamer cannot correct these errors.


When the same files are exported from iOS via Airdrop, the metadata is correct in Mac OS every time, whether the files are recent or old. I therefore assume that there is an issue with the data transfer during download, which has not changed over the last few years.


[Edited by Moderator]

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iCloud downloads change EXIF data, Airdrop doesn't

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