The ESTA is an electronic visa waiver for entry to the USA. You apply online via the US government website.
Recently the website was updated to include uploading a photo of your passport, which has been made mandatory.
A friend reported that the website would get stuck with a progress wheel turning when uploading the picture. What should she do?
Last comment in the linked conversation says that the format matters, for example pdf files are not visible, but I do not think it is the same problem of your friend because the site would report an error instead of freezing.
Check the picture size. Try to upload a low quality jpeg image. The high compression should minimise the size.
'Simon B' from Peterborough says:
"I think the iPad I was using was too old. It could only update to a certain level of OS.
There is a banner on the ESTA site saying make sure you are using the current operating system for your tablet/phone/pc.
After many failed attempts with the wheel of doom turning endlessly, I tried using my more modern iPhone (and Google Chrome browser App, just to cover all bases). It worked straight away.
This good advice worked for my friend, who switched from applying via a laptop to using her smartphone, and was able to upload the passport picture successfully.
