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What are the reasons that a photo would have the wrong 'Device used' and 'software in use' metadata on a photo. The photo that was checked was not the provenance picture and so it is a copy of the original that has been transferred through devices before eventual checking.

The pictures metadata shows the date, camera make & model and software version used to capture it. For this example, the data claims an iPhone 7 mobile phone (released on 16/09/2016) and the iOS version 12.0.1 (released on 08/10/2018) were used but the capture date of 10/03/2016. This capture date is correct so how can this device change have happened and why?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ What's a "provenance picture"? \$\endgroup\$
    – xiota
    Jul 19, 2019 at 10:56
  • \$\begingroup\$ It is the original picture. The picture saved to the phone when the camera was clicked! \$\endgroup\$
    – Andrew S
    Jul 19, 2019 at 12:52
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    \$\begingroup\$ You say the device listed is wrong, and you say that it claims to be an iPhone 7 — but you never say what you expect it to be. That makes any answers just guesses. \$\endgroup\$
    – mattdm
    Jul 19, 2019 at 15:09
  • \$\begingroup\$ I do not know what device it could have been taken from however, it could not be from an iPhone 7 as the photo was taken before the iPhone was released. So why does the phone think that this phone took the picture? \$\endgroup\$
    – Andrew S
    Jul 19, 2019 at 15:44

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Metadata is not necessarily accurate. It is often altered by image sharing sites, image editors, and transfer software. I'd expect some Apple software probably altered the metadata, like iCloud when backing up and restoring upon switching devices or iTunes when transferring files.

It's also possible that metadata is changed when images are converted from heic to jpg. There are options to revert back to creating jpg only or to automatically convert on transfer. If I were an iPhone user, I'd skip automatic conversion and treat heic files like raws.

See PetaPixel: How to Make Your iPhone Shoot JPEGs Again After iOS 11

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Do you know which sites, editors or software would change the device in particular? \$\endgroup\$
    – Andrew S
    Jul 19, 2019 at 12:53
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    \$\begingroup\$ I'd expect some Apple software probably altered the metadata, like iCloud when switching devices or iTunes when transferring files. It's also possible that metadata is changed when images are converted from heic to jpg. \$\endgroup\$
    – xiota
    Jul 19, 2019 at 12:55
  • \$\begingroup\$ Do all photos taken on a device running iOS 11 save as 'heic'?? \$\endgroup\$
    – Andrew S
    Jul 19, 2019 at 14:52
  • \$\begingroup\$ PetaPixel: How to Make Your iPhone Shoot JPEGs Again After iOS 11 \$\endgroup\$
    – xiota
    Jul 19, 2019 at 18:34

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