Unable to use photo picker in ArcGIS Survey123 or Field Maps on iOS devices

Description

When using ArcGIS Survey123 or ArcGIS Field Maps on an Android device, picking images for image questions is allowed, even if the app premissions for Photos and Videos on the device have been set to Not Allowed.

This is not the behavior seen on an iOS device, where a message appears stating that you don't have access to the photos as shown in the images below.

Cause

This is caused by the differences between the Android and iOS operating systems. The Photos/Video access permission grants permission to the Android Photo Picker, as described in the Android Developer's Guide. See: (Photo picker | Android Developers).

Survey123 accesses images via the file browser in Android, which does not require photo/video permissions. On iOS, there is no equivalent direct access to the photo files, and selection must occur via the iOS PhotoKit Photo Picker. See: (PhotoKit | Apple Developer Documentation).

Solution or Workaround

If using iOS, permission must be granted to use the photo picker if it is intended to be used in Survey123 or Field Maps.