Importing iPhone Photos into Lightroom Classic Removes Location Info on the Photos

Report · Feb 16, 2021

I recently noticed that when I export iPhone photos from Apple Photos on my Macbook Pro to a local folder on my hard drive, then import them into Lightroom Classicfrom there, the location information (Metadata) doesn't import and it also gets deleted from the photos on the hard drive. I have run several tests. After exporting from Apple Photos on the MBP, I check for location data attached to the photos and so long as I had internet access when the photo was taken it shows the GPS data in Preview > Tools > Show Location Info (or in the panel next to the file name in Finder way at the bottom). If I import just a few of those photos that I confirmed had GPS data attached, the photos that were imported into Lightroom no longer show any location info, but the remaining photos that were not imported still have theri location info. Has anyone else noticed this issue? If so did you find a fix. I would really like to use the Map module in Lr Classic, but don't want to manually load 6,000 photo locations 4-5 times a year, especially since they are all over the country as I photograph while traveling in a motorhome. Thanks for your help.

Report · Feb 16, 2021

I'm not sure of your LR version (or even whether this bug applies to your case), but it could be so.

Here's something from the recent part which may help.

It's a recently introduced bug. Please add details of your issue to this bug report: Lightroom: HEIC photos import with Metadata Status: Changed On Disk | Photoshop Family Customer Comm...

Are you importing HEIC photos from an Iphone, and observing Metadata Status: Changed On Disk? If so, that bug was fixed a year ago in LR 8.4. Do the menu command Help > System Info and verify you have the latest version of LR (9.4).

"I highlighted twenty of the "metadata conflict" images and the recommended "fix" only took care of the first one - the other nineteen had to be done individually."

Most likely, you are in Loupe view in Library or Develop (just one photo showing). In Loupe view, many commands only operate on the most selected photo, not all the photos you selected in the filmstrip. Do the menu command View > Grid to go to grid view and then do Metadata > Save Metadata To File -- the command will apply to all the selected photos.

Can you see the Metadata conflict icon on any of your thumbnails?

Report · Feb 17, 2021

I guess I should have included all the version information to help clarify things. Sorry about that. I am using a MacBook Pro running macOS Big Sur version 11.2.1. My Lightroom Classic is version 10.1.1 (I'm on the subscription so I always update to the latest version). The photos in question are from my iPhone 11 Pro Max, software version iOS 14.4, native camera app, using the "Most Compatible" format generating JPEGs there. Lightroom does not show any metadata conflict icons on the thumbnails. As a note, I don't seem to have this issue when I use the Lightroom Mobile camera (possibly since the files are transferred via the Adobe cloud versus the export/import sequence I have to use to transfer photos from Apple Photos) but I don't use that app for iPhone photos very often. I spent quite a long time on a chat yesterday with Adobe support with no resolution. The way we left it was that tech support was going to further research the problem. I don't know if I'll ever hear from them again, but I'm hopeful.

Report · Feb 21, 2021

I believe your issue is moderately complicated (and I'm sure frustrating), but can you cut Apple Photos out of the workflow?

I'm wondering what Apple Photos does for you in the big picture?

It seems to me that if this is breaking the LR Map module for you that you could transfer directly to LR first and then add to Apple Photos.

Would that work?