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The Photos app on your iPhone is far more than a mere storage space for your memories. If you’re new to iOS or not familiar with Apple’s Photos app just yet, check out these various trips and tricks to master it quickly.
1. Organize Photos With Albums
You can easily sort photos into albums in the Photos app for better organization. This makes finding and accessing your desired images easier without having to scroll through the clutter.
To create a new album, follow these steps:
You can also modify or delete this album whenever you like by opening it and tapping theellipsis (…)icon in the top-right corner.
2. Search for Photos Using Keywords or Categories
The Search feature in the Photos app works like a mini-search engine. Just type in a keyword or phrase, and it will instantly display all related images. You can further refine your search using categories such as screenshots, selfies, live photos, or even specific content within an image. Follow these steps:
Additionally, you may filter your results based on specific dates, locations, or people.
3. Adjust the Date, Time, and Location of Images
The Photos app automatically organizes your pictures based on date and location data, though you can manually adjust this information as needed. This feature is useful for old scanned photos or for finding images from different locations later on.
Toview an image’s metadata on your iPhoneand then edit it, follow these steps:
To return to the original date and time, you can follow the same steps and tapRevertin the top-right corner.
Likewise, you can change the location of a photo by following these steps:
The map preview will show the new location in the info panel. To revert to the original location, repeat the above steps and tapAdjust > Revert.
4. Use Visual Look Up to Recognize Objects
Another handy feature in the Photos app is Visual Look Up, which usesmachine learningtoidentify objects in your photosand provide relevant information about them. It can recognize objects such as landmarks, plants, pets, and even food types.
To use this feature, open the Photos app and browse your photo library. Find a photo with the Visual Look Up icon (similar to the Info button but with sparkling effects).
If you see the regular Info button, it means Visual Look Up is unavailable for that photo.
Once you tap theInfo (i)icon, you’ll see the Visual Lookup icon on an object in the photo. Tap it for more information, such as related images, descriptions, and Wikipedia links. The icon may differ depending on the object—for example, a fork icon for food items or a leaf icon for plants.
5. Annotate Photos With Markup Tools
The built-inMarkup feature houses a bunch of annotation tools you can useto draw or add text to images for a personal touch. Here’s how to access it:
To remove the annotations, reopen the photo and tapEdit > Revert > Revert to Original.
6. Recover Accidentally Deleted Pictures
When you delete a photo or video, it moves to the Recently Deleted album and stays there for 30 days before it’s permanently removed from your device. So, as long as you act quickly, you canrecover accidentally deleted photos on your iPhoneby following these steps:
The recovered photos will be returned to their original albums.
7. Lock Hidden and Recently Deleted Albums
When you hide photos or videos on your iPhone, they move to the Hidden album. However, both the Hidden and Recently Deleted albums are still visible and accessible to anyone who has access to your device. To prevent this, you can lock these albums with Face ID or Touch ID.
The next time you open the Hidden or Recently Deleted album, it will ask for Face ID or Touch ID authentication to access the content. This adds an extra layer of security and ensures your private photos are truly hidden. You can evenlock your iPhone’s Photos app with the built-in Shortcuts appif needed.
8. Hide the Hidden Photo Album
Once you’ve locked the Hidden album, you can further hide it from your Photos app. Tohide the Hidden album on iOS, follow these steps:
The hidden album will now disappear from your Photos app. If you wish to access it again, you have to go toSettings > Photosand toggle onShow Hidden Album.
I’m sure these tips and tricks will help you get the hang of your iPhone’s Photos app quickly. Whether you want to organize your photos efficiently, make them more private, or recover deleted photos, this list has you covered.