How to Email JPEG Files With an Android Phone (4 Steps)

By Andrew Aarons

With an Android phone, you can email selfies like this to anyone.
i Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images

Admit it: Your smartphone has changed your life. You used to be happy just walking to the grocery store to pick up some milk, but now you’re a journalist, using your Android phone’s camera to document the entire trip. Or maybe you’re just browsing the Internet while on the bus, downloading cute pictures of kittens to send to that special someone when you get home. Either way, knowing how to send those JPEG images – which all Android photos are – to others is important.

Step 1

Turn on or unlock your phone and then tap on the camera icon to get your camera going. Every Android phone – depending on the manufacturer – has a slightly different camera interface, but in all cases tapping the options button will reveal some photo shooting modes. Tap “File Size” or “Resolution” and choose a middle-of-the-road resolution, something around 3 megapixels: this will keep file sizes low (a plus for emailing) but retain image quality.

Step 2

Snap a few shots of the things around you (using photo filters to make your bowl of Cheerios look aged and sepia is optional). Hit the “Home” button on your screen and scroll through the pages until you find “Gallery.” If this isn’t on one of your home screen, tap “Apps” and find it.

Step 3

Tap on the “Camera” gallery to find the photos you just selected. Then hit the options button on your phone and choose “Select photos” or simply tap the photos you wish to include in your email. Once you’ve selected a group of photos, tap the share button at the top (which looks like two beams of light starting at a single point).

Step 4

Select your email program or app from the list. Android phones have a default email application called “Email,” but you may have added your Gmail or Windows Live account to your phone. Once you tap “Email,” your photos will be automatically attached to a new message. Enter the name of the person or group of contacts to send the email to and type a subject line, then tap “Send.”

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