How to Attach a Photo to an Email on the iPhone or iPad

Apple has made it relatively simple to attach photos to email on the iPhone or iPad, but it is easy to miss this feature if you don't know where to look. You can attach photos both through the Photos app or the Mail app, and if you have an iPad, you can pull both up on your screen to easily attach multiple photos to your email message. We'll look at all three methods.

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How to Attach a Photo to an Email Using the Photos App

If your main goal is to send a photo to a friend, it is easiest to simply start in the Photos app. This gives you the entire screen to select the photo, making it easier to pick the right one.

Open the Photos app and locate the photo you want to email. (Find out how to launch the Photos app quickly without hunting for it.)
Tap the Share button at the top of the screen. It's the button that has an arrow coming out of a box.
If you want to attach multiple photos, you can do so from the screen that appears after you tap the share button. Simply tap each photo you want to attach to the email message. You can scroll through the photos by swiping from left to right or from right to left.
To attach the photo(s), tap the Mail button. It is located near the bottom of the screen, usually just above the Slideshow button.
When you tap the Mail button, a new mail message will appear from within the Photos app. There's no need to launch Mail. You can type out your email message and send it from within the Photos app.

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How to Attach Photos from the Mail App

Sharing an image through the Photos app is great way of sending photos to family and friends, but what if you are already composing an email message? There's no need to stop what you are doing and launch Photos to attach an image to your message. You can do it from within the Mail app.

First, begin by composing a new message.
You can attach a photo anywhere in the message by tapping once inside the body of the message. This will bring up a menu that includes the option to "Insert Photo or Video". Tapping this button will bring up a window with your photos in it. You can navigate to different albums to find your photo. When you have it selected, tap the "Use" button in the upper-right corner of the window.
Apple also added a button to the on-screen keyboard that allows you to quickly attach a photo to the message. This button looks like a camera and is located on the upper-right side of the keyboard just above the backspace button. This is a great way of attaching a photo while you are typing.
You can attach multiple photos by simply repeating these directions.

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How to Use the iPad's Multitasking to Attach Multiple Images

You can attach multiple photos to a mail message using the instructions above, or you can use the iPad's drag-and-drop feature and its multitasking abilities to quickly move multiple photos into your email message.

The iPad's multitasking feature works by interacting with the dock, so you'll need access to the Photos app from the dock. However, you do not need to drag the Photos icon to the dock, you simply need to launch Photos right before you launch the Mail app. The dock will display the last few apps opened on the far right side.

Inside of a new mail message, do the following:

Slide your finger up from the bottom of the screen to reveal the dock. Remember, don't slide your finger more than an inch otherwise the iPad will transition into the task-switching screen. We just want the dock displayed.
If the Photos app was one of the last apps opened, the icon for it will be displayed on the right side of the dock. Tap-and-hold the icon with your finger until the icon expands slightly.
It should only take a second for the icon to expand, so it is easy to miss. After a second passes, slide your finger up without lifting it from the screen. You will see a rectangle appear around the icon. At this point, lift your finger.
The Photos app will launch on the right side of the screen. You can navigate it as normal. When you've located a photo you want to add to the mail message, tap and hold it, again waiting a second for it to expand. Next, just drag it to your email message and lift your finger to drop it.
Read more about multitasking on the iPad.