Labs · 🟢 Local sample verified · 1 November 2026 · Viewer and cleaner compared
Telegram image lab: what is in the JPEG before you choose Photo or File?
Before I choose a Telegram photo or Send as File, is GPS still in this JPEG, and is it gone after a local clean?
Telegram photo and file sends produce different files. GPS and camera fields in the local sample were gone after the clean. One client’s compression is not a rule for every chat. Clean the copy in this browser before sending. The file stays on this device and is not uploaded to this site.
WhatsApp Help: media and documents; WhatsApp Help: longer videos
Photo and File are not one privacy switch. The check you can finish first is whether the selected JPEG still has GPS and EXIF.
Short answer
Direct answer: do not bet on an automatic strip. GPS and camera fields in the local sample were absent from the cleaned copy.
- Two paths: The recipient gets the button you pressed. File is often closer to the original. A compressed photo is processed again, and clients differ.
- What that does not prove: These numbers are the viewer and the cleaner on a local file. They show whether the fields can come off before the send.
- What you can do first: Clean the copy in this browser before the file leaves the device. Nothing is uploaded to this site.
🟢 Local sample verified · 1 November 2026 · Viewer and cleaner compared
- Published
- Last updated
- Last tested
Before and after a local clean
Sample dated 2026-11-01. The viewer read location and camera fields. The cleaned file no longer has them. The file stayed on this device.
| Field | Local sample (viewer) | Cleaned copy (cleaner) |
|---|---|---|
| GPS / location | 35 deg 0' 0.00" N, 135 deg 0' 0.00" E | No GPS |
| EXIF | EXIF present (camera make, model, and settings) | EXIF fields cleared |
| Camera information | Camera make and model present | Camera make and model removed |
| Timestamps | 2026:11:01 18:00:00 | Capture time removed |
| Provenance / C2PA | JUMBF APP11 and a C2PA container | No C2PA or JUMBF container |
| Recompression / resize | 378,066 bytes, with location and the metadata above | 361,097 bytes; metadata removed, image scans unchanged |
GPS / location
The viewer read 35 deg 0' 0.00" N, 135 deg 0' 0.00" E. The cleaned file had no GPS.
EXIF
The viewer read a camera make, a model, and the capture time 2026:11:01 18:00:00. The cleaned file had no EXIF.
Test environment
Chrome 156.0.8078.47 and ExifTool 12.76. The file stayed on this device. Nothing was uploaded.
How to test your own file
- Use one source JPEG with known GPS.
- Send it as a photo and as a file/document.
- Download both results.
- Compare hashes and EXIF independently.
- Record Android / iOS / Desktop separately.
Methodology
Every published result has to follow the same protocol: a known source file, a recorded hash, a specific upload path, and a downloaded copy. Folklore does not count.
Privacy implications
If location or camera identity matters, sanitize before either button. “Send as file” is a hypothesis to test, not a privacy guarantee.