In iOS 15, Apple has expanded support for drag and drop functionality across apps on iPhone, allowing you to move files, images, and selected chunks of text from place to place.

ios 15 home screen icons yellow
Cross-app drag and drop has actually been available on the iPad since 2017, but now Apple has extended the feature to the ‌iPhone‌ with iOS 15. In addition to apps, the multi-finger action also works with screenshots. The following steps show you how it works.

  1. Take a screenshot in the usual way, by pressing the Side button and the Volume Up button at the same time.
  2. Press and hold on the screenshot thumbnail in the bottom-left corner of the screen, and wait a moment for the white frame around it to disappear.
  3. With another finger, tap the app that you want to use the screenshot in. We're opening the Photos app in our example, but you could open Files, Messages, Mail, Notes, or something else.
    screenshots

  4. Navigate to where you want to use the screenshot. We're selecting a specific album we created, called "iOS 15 screenshots."
  5. Move the screenshot into the area you want it, then let go with your finger to drop it in place. In our example, the screenshots are instantly saved in the specified location.
    screenshots

You may have noticed that we've dragged two screenshots in our example – that's just a "meta" result of capturing screenshots of the screenshot-taking process (the thumbnail of the earlier screenshot remains in the next). However, it also serves to highlight that drag and drop supports the selection of multiple items by tapping them with another finger.

It's worth noting that drag and drop results in duplication rather than movement of content, so the screenshot still gets automatically saved in your camera roll. But in iOS 15 you have the ability to immediately pick up a copy of the image and do something more specific with it, like save it to a newly created album, which is useful if your workflow involves lots of screenshots.

The first public beta of iOS 15 is available now, and the official release should come to all compatible iPhones in September.

Related Forum: iOS 15

Top Rated Comments

Mac Fly (film) Avatar
50 months ago
Dragging the screenshot to a messaging app may have been a better example, considering screenshots are already automatically saved to a folder called screenshots in photos.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
50 months ago
wow like ... how is anyone supposed to figure this out on their own O.o "it just works"
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mdnz Avatar
50 months ago

wow like ... how is anyone supposed to figure this out on their own o_O "it just works"
The Konami code was easier to figure out.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IIGS User Avatar
50 months ago

The Konami code was easier to figure out.
Or the Da Vinci code. Or the Enigma Code, or the Drogan's decoder wheel code.

I used it to decode a static-filled triple-scrambled microwave transmission between two soldiers talking in Mandarin Chinese.

It was easy since they were only using a simple polyphonetically-grouped twenty-square-digit key transposed from boustrophedonic form with multiple nulls.

The message said "BE SURE TO DRINK YOUR OVALTINE"....
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacFan782040 Avatar
50 months ago
I feel like they could’ve made this way easier.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mattopotamus Avatar
50 months ago
much easier to just take the screenshot and then open your photos be it in messenger, mail, etc.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.5 With New Wallpaper, Screen Time Changes, Carrier Satellite Support for iPhone 13 and More

Monday May 12, 2025 10:06 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5, the fifth updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 come a little over a month after Apple released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. The iOS 18.5 update has a...
tvOS 18 Feature

Apple Releases tvOS 18.5

Monday May 12, 2025 10:01 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 18.5, the latest version of the tvOS operating system. tvOS 18.5 comes a little over a month after the launch of tvOS 18.4, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.5 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software. ‌Apple TV‌ owners who have...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

WSJ: Apple Weighing Price Hikes for iPhone 17 Lineup Without Blaming Tariffs

Monday May 12, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
Apple is considering raising prices for its upcoming iPhone 17 models set to release this fall, according to people familiar with the matter cited by The Wall Street Journal. The company reportedly aims to pair the potential price hikes with new features and design changes to justify the increased cost to consumers, rather than attributing them to U.S. tariffs on goods from China. The...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.5

Monday May 12, 2025 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.5, the fifth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched last September. macOS Sequoia 15.5 comes a little over a month after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.4. Mac users can download the ‌‌‌macOS Sequoia 15.5‌‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Expected This Week With These New Features

Monday May 12, 2025 7:20 am PDT by
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple is expected to release iOS 18.5 to the general public this week. While the software update is relatively minor, it still includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones. Below, we recap everything new in iOS 18.5. Pride Wallpaper Apple recently announced its 2025 Pride Collection, including a new Apple Watch band, watch face,...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

20th Anniversary iPhone Will Be Mostly Glass With All-Screen Design

Monday May 12, 2025 2:52 am PDT by
Apple will mark the 10th anniversary of the iPhone X in 2027 by launching a mostly glass, curved iPhone without any cutouts in the display, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said the all-screen device will arrive later in 2027, suggesting a fall release. The model will be preceded by Apple's first foldable iPhone, claims the reporter....