Grayed Out Photos on iPhone | How to Fix Gray Box Photo Issues on iPhone/Android

User Inquiry: The image is displayed as a gray box.

Many mobile users have encountered the gray-scale photo problem described by this user:

Scenario 1: iPhone Photos Showing Up as Gray Boxes

"Hey, I have an issue with my iPhone 6s where gray boxes are covering my photos and videos. I am running the latest version of iOS."

Case 2: Gray Boxes on Camera/Gallery Photos on Android

"I have questions about some photos taken with the Samsung Galaxy S8 camera. The preview at the bottom shows the full image, but when you view the full-size photo, a gray border appears. Why are my photos grayed out and how do I remove the gray border from the photos?"

Why are my photos gray on my iPhone/Android phone?

If you see a gray box around an image, whether it's a photo taken with your phone's camera or one that you downloaded from the web, the issue is likely with the multimedia file itself. The cause could be:

• The storage device containing the photos is damaged or corrupted.
• The images are corrupted.
• The photos didn't transfer completely.
• The photos were damaged due to the use of an unreliable data recovery software.

How to Fix Grayed-Out Photos on Your iPhone or Android

In this part, we will show you five practical solutions to help you fix the issue of photos showing as gray boxes when opened. Let's get started!

Solution 1: Restart your iPhone or Android device

When your iPhone is having any kind of problem, try restarting it, which can solve many small issues the way rebooting your computer can. Hold down the Power/Sleep button on top or side and the Home button until you see the Apple logo, then let go.

Fix 2: Open the grayed out file in an image editor and save the image

When your iPhone photos turn gray, you can try opening them with an image editor like Photoshop or Paint to fix the issue. If the grayscale images display correctly in the image editor, save them to the same location to overwrite the original files. Many users have reported success with this method. If that doesn't work, try the solutions below.

Repairing Damaged Storage Devices

If the storage device that the photo is saved on is damaged, the image might appear as a gray box. Fix the damaged device with these steps:

Step 1. Plug your SD card or other storage device into your computer using a reader.

Step 2. On the Start menu, search for "cmd," then press Enter. Right-click and select "Run as administrator."

Step 3: Type “chkdsk /X /f sd card letter:” or “chkdsk sd card letter: /f”, for example, “chkdsk /X /f G:” or “chkdsk H: /f” to fix corrupted SD card without formatting.

Repair 4. Repair damaged photos using a photo repair tool.

When images are corrupted or broken, they'll appear as gray boxes. You can try using the Fixo Photo Repair Tool to fix damaged photos. This file repair software can fix various damaged files, including documents, photos, and videos.

Step 1. Launch Fixo on your computer and select "Photo Repair" to fix photos that won't open or are partially missing. Click on "Add Photos" to choose the corrupted photo.

Step 2. You can click on “Repair All” to fix all the photos at once. If you want to repair a single photo, hover over the target photo and click on “Repair”.

Step 3: You can click the eye icon to preview the photo and then hit "Save" to save the selected picture. Hit "Save All" to save all the repaired images. Click "View Repaired" to locate the repaired folder.

Solution 5: Retrieve iPhone Photos from iTunes or iCloud Backup

If none of the above methods work and your photos are still grayed out, your last resort is to recover them from a backup. Restoring files from an iTunes or iCloud backup can be tricky and many users don't know how to do it. Don't worry – the Mobisaver app can help. It offers the easiest way to recover iPhone data from your device, an iTunes backup, or an iCloud backup.

To get back your photos on Android, you need the tool called Mobisaver for Android.

Recover Photos from iTunes Backup

Step 1: Run the MobiSaver tool

First, download the MobiSaver tool > Connect your iPhone/iPad to the computer > Launch the MobiSaver tool > Choose "Recover from iTunes Backup" > Select an iTunes backup.

Step 2: Unlock iTunes

If this iTunes backup is encrypted, you'll need to enter the password to unlock it. After entering the password, click “Continue.” MobiSaver will now scan your backup file for lost data.

Step 3. Preview and Recover Data from iTunes Backup

After the scan, you can preview the detailed content of the lost photos/videos, contacts/messages, memos, and social app data. Select the files you need and click the "Recover" button to save them to your computer.

Restore Photos from an iCloud Backup

Step 1: Choose "Restore from iCloud"

Connect your iPhone to the computer and launch the MobiSaver tool. Click on “Recover from iCloud” and then hit “Start”.

Step 2: Turn off “Find My iPhone.”

Please turn off the “Find My iPhone” feature on your iPhone/iPad/iPod to continue.

Step 3: Enter the code in the confirmation box

Type "123456" in the confirmation box, then click on the "Continue" button.

Note: This will delete all data and reset all settings. Make sure to back up important information beforehand.

Step 4: Reset your iPhone

Follow the iPhone setup process until you see the Reset screen. On your phone, select Restore from iCloud Backup. Enter the Apple ID and password for the account you want to restore the backup from. Then, click Next on your computer.

Step 5: Select the file

Select the type of data you want to recover. If you want to retrieve all files, simply click on the "Select All" button at the bottom.

Step 6: Analyze the iPhone

The software will analyze your device, which may take a few minutes. Do not disconnect or use your device during this time.

Step 7. Scan and Recover Lost Data

MobiSaver will scan your iCloud backup file automatically to find the lost data. This process may take a few minutes, so please wait patiently. Then, select the data you want to recover and hit the "Recover" button.

Conclusion

This tutorial will explain why images appear gray on both iPhones and Android devices. There are five troubleshooting methods to fix gray photos on your iPhone or Android: restart your device, open the grayed-out file with an image editor, repair the corrupted storage device, fix damaged photos with tools like Fixo, and restore photos from a backup.

When it comes to retrieving photos from iPhone and Android backups, don't miss out on the MobiSaver tool, which allows you to easily recover lost or permanently deleted files from your iPhone or Android device.