Ongoing iOS 18 Bug Prevents Photo Edits From Being Saved

There is an ongoing but infrequent Photos bug that some iPhone users have been experiencing since upgrading to iOS 18. The issue occurs when attempting to save edits on an image, with users seeing the following message: "There was an error saving this photo. Please try again later."

iphone 16 pro rear cameras
As the message suggests, edits are not able to be saved, and hitting "Cancel" and discarding changes is the only way to get out of the editing interface.

A lot of the complaints about the problem have been from users who have an iPhone 16 model, but it also appears to be impacting some older iPhones as well. We've run into this bug several times at MacRumors, and it seems to be impacting every version of iOS 18 to date.

Reports about the bug started in September, and have continued since then. Most recently, several beta testers running iOS 18.2 have reported seeing the popup. It is worth noting that this is an error that some people ran into before iOS 18, but it appears to be much more frequent now.

It's not clear what's causing the problem, and it does not seem to impact all users or even every photo. It could be linked to Live Photos, or it could be an issue with iCloud Photos. Some users have all photos from a specific day bugged, indicating a problem with photo capture or saving.

There is no complete fix, but duplicating a broken image with a "still photo" allows the edits to be saved, but it removes Live Photo and Photographic Styles. Apple is aware of the issue and is working on a fix.

Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
macOS Tahoe 26 Thumb

Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.2 With Edge Light

Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1. Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
ipados 26 1 slide over

Apple Releases iPadOS 26.2 With Multitasking Improvements

Friday December 12, 2025 10:09 am PST by
Apple today released iPadOS 26.2, the second major update to the iPadOS 26 operating system released in September. iPadOS 26.2 comes a month after iPadOS 26.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. iPadOS 26.2 continues with the multitasking improvements that were added with iPadOS 26.1. You can now drag and...
iphone fold text

'iPhone Fold' Arrival Expected to Cement Book-Style Era for Foldables

Friday December 12, 2025 3:55 am PST by
Foldable smartphone panel shipments are projected to jump 46% year-over-year in 2026, with Apple's entry into the market serving as the main catalyst, according to Counterpoint Research's latest Foldable-Rollable Display Shipment Tracker. "Apple is the key driver as it starts to procure panels for its first foldable iPhone," said Counterpoint's Guillaume Chansin. The research firm expects...

Top Rated Comments

sw1tcher Avatar
14 months ago
And this is why I continue to stick with my OS upgrade schedule where I do not upgrade to a new OS version until the x.4 or x.5 version is out.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
14 months ago
wait for .4 or .5 (approx. WWDC time) is the new wait for .2 or .3 from the good old days. I miss "just works" Apple.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
7thson Avatar
14 months ago
This doesn’t surprise me at all. Random albums don’t show up in the share sheet either. The Photos app overhaul is hands down my biggest gripe about iOS18. It feels like they changed it for change sake and now we get to beta test it until it works properly.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
doboy Avatar
14 months ago
Why am I not surprised. Apple really needs to shape up.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ThomasJL Avatar
14 months ago
Typical Tim Cook. He cares more about maximizing profits for shareholders instead of providing customers products with a similar level of user-friendliness as before he was CEO.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
demwun Avatar
14 months ago
I feel like that "Apple feeling" that Jobs built up in the minds and hearts of the consumer has been completely undone.
They've changed minimalism, simplicity and efficiency into something utterly boring and clumsy..
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)