Open Radar

 
Summary:
When you copy an image from Photos app, two items are included on the pasteboard:

public.jpeg
com.apple.mobileslideshow.asset.localidentifier

The latter is very useful because it allows an app to tie back to the original image using the Photos Framework to get metadata. This is especially important in the case of an edited photo which does not have the original metadata (e.g. GPS) encoded in the JPEG.

However, when you share a photo from the Photos app via a share extension, the only item available in the item provider is:

public.jpeg

If you share an edited photo from Photos app the receiving app has no way to get at the original metadata (again, because edited photos do not, for whatever reason, preserve the metadata in the JPEG).

This is important for our app because we use the date and location metadata from the image to create a journal entry at the proper time and place for the user.

Steps to Reproduce:
Share a photo from Photos app

Expected Results:
The receiving share extension can register for and receive the local asset identifier in addition to the jpeg data.

Actual Results:
The receiving share extension only receives jpeg data. Metadata is not available for edited photos.

Version:
iOS 8

Notes:
I suppose another approach to this problem is for the Photos app to include metadata in edited JPEG photos, but I can understand there may be legitimate reasons not to do this. I think that in the long term, having the ability to access the original photo asset is more valuable because then apps can do whatever they want (even just saving a reference to the photo in their app instead of duplicating it, for example)