My photo won't upload: “Failed to fetch”, iPhone photos and other upload errors

Most upload problems come down to a dropped connection or a photo that's too small. Here's what works, what each message means, and what to try.

Which photos work

• Formats: JPG, PNG, WebP and HEIC. HEIC is the format iPhones use, and we convert it for you, so there's no need to change any settings. An iPhone photo may show “Preview unavailable” instead of a thumbnail on some browsers. That's normal: the photo still uploads.

• Size: up to 50 MB per photo. Large photos are made smaller in your browser before they upload, so a normal phone photo goes up quickly.

• How many: up to 20 photos for most decks (some products take fewer, like portraits and posters, which take up to 5). Your first photo is the main one. Extra photos help with likeness, or let you include more people or pets.

• Resolution: the shorter side must be at least 256 pixels. Under 512 pixels, you'll see a “Low res” badge because the cards may come out soft.

• What's in the photo: a person, a pet, or several of either, or both. A clear, front-facing photo in good light works best. Photos with no person or pet in them (like screenshots, memes or landscapes) can't be used.

Tip: always choose the original from your camera roll. A copy saved from a message or a social media post is usually much smaller than the original and can come out soft.

What the messages mean

• “Failed to fetch”, “Load failed” or “The highlighted photos didn't upload”: the connection dropped while the photo was uploading. We already retry twice by ourselves, so this usually means a weak signal or a browser blocking the upload. See “What to try” below.

• “Photo upload not responding?”: you're inside another app's browser (like Instagram, Facebook or TikTok), and these often fail to open your photos or finish an upload. Tap •••, choose “Open in browser”, and try again there.

• “That photo is too small”: it's under 256 pixels on its shorter side. Use the original from your camera roll.

• “Please upload a JPG, PNG, WebP, or HEIC image”: the file is in another format (a GIF, for example). Choose a different photo, or save a copy as JPG and upload that.

• “We couldn't process that photo” or “We couldn't read this HEIC photo”: the file is damaged or in an unusual variant of its format. Try another photo, or save a copy as JPG.

• “We couldn't spot a person or pet in that photo”: choose a clearer photo where the face or your pet is easy to see.

• “We couldn't reach our servers”: your connection dropped as you started your preview. Check your connection and tap the button again.

What to try

1. Tap the button again. Any photo that didn't upload is tried again. You can also remove the highlighted photo and add it once more.

2. Open the page in your regular browser (Safari, Chrome and so on) if you got here from a link inside another app.

3. Switch to a steadier connection. Wi-Fi is usually more reliable than a weak mobile signal. Turn off a VPN or data saver if you use one.

4. Upload fewer photos at once. Start with your main photo and add the rest once it's in.

5. Try another browser or device, for example a computer instead of your phone.

Changing photos after you've ordered

Once your preview has started, its main photo can't be swapped on the preview page. After purchase you can redo cards with a different photo from your order page: see Can I change or upload new photos after placing my order?

Still stuck?

Write to us at support@tails-ai.com. Tell us the message you see and the phone or computer and browser you're using, and attach the photo if you can. We'll help you get it in.