Why is the original capture date missing from a JPEG's metadata after it was emailed?
Asked 9/14/2023
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2 answers
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I received a JPEG via Gmail and downloaded it from the message. When I inspected it with ExifTool, I saw some metadata such as download-related dates and ICC profile information, but I could not find the usual EXIF capture date/time field.
What are the common reasons a photo's original capture date would be missing from metadata after being shared by email? Could Gmail remove it, or is it more likely that the image was altered earlier by a phone's share function, a messaging app, or by being re-saved/exported? Also, if the photographer sent the original file directly from their phone's gallery as a file attachment, would the capture date normally still be present?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
2y ago
2 Answers
7
Gmail doesn't strip data from files (just sent myself a photo from my phone, and all the Exif is there, including GPS data).
The "Share" function on smartphones may remove metadata for privacy reasons, before passing it to whatever app is used for sharing.
There are ways to circumvent this, for instance, by sending your photos as files.
Good image browsers can show you all available image metadata in the image (if there is any left...).
Regarding your comment, editing/replacing the data is as easy as removing it, and would be a lot less noticeable.
Originally by user75947. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user75947
2y ago
0
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Most likely Gmail is not the cause. If a JPEG is sent as a file attachment, email generally preserves whatever EXIF metadata is already in that file.
Common reasons the original capture date is missing:
- the sender’s phone “share” function removed metadata for privacy
- the image passed through another app/service that strips EXIF
- the photo was edited, exported, or re-saved, and the EXIF wasn’t preserved
- the sender sent a screenshot or other derivative image rather than the original photo
- metadata was deliberately removed or replaced
The ICC profile date is not the same as the photo’s capture date, so it doesn’t reliably tell you when the picture was taken.
If the photographer sends the original image file directly from the device, the capture date would normally still be present—unless their sharing method or app removes it before sending. So the missing date usually means you did not receive the untouched original file.
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