How to Stop iOS Mail From Downloading Remote Images

This article explains how to stop iOS Mail from downloading remote images, a feature that is turned on by default in the Mail app. This information applies to devices with iOS 12, iOS 11, or iOS 10.

How to Stop Downloading Remote Images

When your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch loads remote images in the Mail app, it uses your data allotment and battery charge. It might also notify spam senders that you opened their messages.

You can disable remote images on an iPhone or another iOS device through the Settings app. Here's how.

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap Mail.

   On older iOS versions, this setting might be called Mail, Contacts, Calendar.

3. Scroll down to the Messages section. Tap the Load Remote Images toggle switch to move it to the off position and disable it.

   If this option is green, then loading remote images is enabled. Tap it once to disable remote images.

Load Images in a Single Email Message

When the loading of remote images is disabled, emails that contain remote images display the message, "This message contains unloaded images." To display images contained only in that email, tap Load All Images. This one-time bypass does not re-enable automatic downloads for all emails.