What is an AAE File in iPhone and How Does it Work?

It is important to understand the AAE file in iPhone, which in turn will help you out when you transfer photos between devices or use Windows and Android systems.

What is an AAE file in iPhone and How Does it work?

An AAE file in iPhone is what the Photos app creates when you edit a picture. Instead of altering the original image, the iPhone saves all your changes, which include things like cropping, filters, brightness, or color adjustments in a separate AAE file. This file, in turn, serves as a set of instructions that the iPhone uses to apply the edit to your photo.

In iOS 8, Apple introduced the AAE file to the iPhone. What this does is it preserves the original image intact, and at any point, you can go back and undo all your edits.

How Does the AAE File in iPhone Work?

When you edit a photo on your iPhone, what happens is that the system doesn’t overwrite the original image. Instead, an AAE file in iPhone with the same name as the photo is created. For example:

Photo file: IMG_1234.JPG.
Edit file: IMG_1234.AAE

The AAE file on iPhone uses XML format for edit instructions. When you look at the photo on your iPhone or any other Apple device, the Photos app uses the AAE file to apply edits, which is done instantaneously. You will not see the original unedited version at all until you choose “Revert to Original.

Why Does iPhone Use AAE Files?

Apple uses the AAE file on iPhone to give consumers a better experience, and what’s included is:

Non-sequential editing: You can go back to a previous version.
Reduced file size: AAE files are a more efficient alternative to full image duplication.
Consistent edits across all Apple devices: Your edits sync via iCloud Seamlessly.

In this regard, the AAE file in iPhone plays a key role in photo management within the Apple ecosystem.

What Happens When You Transfer AAE Files to Other Devices?

Problems are present when you transfer photos that have AAE files from an iPhone to a Windows PC or Android device. Those systems do not support AAE files. Also see:

The photo may appear unedited
The AAE file shows a separate, unreadable format
Edits may seem “missing.”

This is due to the fact that non-Apple devices do not support the AAE file format of the iPhone.

Can You Open an AAE File on PC?

Sure, you don’t have the option to open an AAE file in iPhone on Windows. It is not what we would term an image file. Its use is specific to the original photo, and it is made for Apple’s software, which includes iOS, macOS, and the Photos app.

When it comes to saving changes during photo transfer, you can:

Share your edited photos right away from your iPhone.
Export photos as edited versions
Use your iCloud Photo Library to sync across Apple devices.

Is it Safe to Delete an AAE File in iPhone?

Yes, I can say that if you delete an AAE file in iPhone, the edited photo will go back to its original state, and you will lose all that edited work. The original image will still be there, but any changes made will disappear.

Conclusion

The AAE file in iPhone is a key component of Apple’s photo editing, which it does without touching the original image; thus is non-destructive and very easy to reverse. On iPhone, the AAE file works great within Apple’s systems, but when transferred to non-Apple platforms, it may cause issues. By understanding how the AAE file works in iPhone, you are able to better manage, transfer, and protect your photos.

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