How to remove duplicates in Photos on iPhone | Apple Support
How to Remove Duplicates in Photos on iPhone | Apple Support
If you’re an avid photographer or simply love capturing memories, it’s highly likely that the Photos app on your iPhone is bursting at the seams. Among these precious snaps, though, you might have more than a few duplicates that take up space unnecessarily. Not only do they clutter your photo library, but finding the best image from a collection of similar shots can be time-consuming.
Luckily, there are multiple ways to remove duplicate photos on your iPhone without compromising the quality of your cherished memories. In this post, we’ll explore the options available, including using the built-in features on your iPhone, opting for third-party apps, and leveraging cloud-based solutions.
To help keep your Photos library pristine and avoid wasting valuable storage space, follow these 10 simple steps to identify and eliminate duplicate images in a snap.
1. Manually Review Your Photos
Taking a manual approach allows you to review each photo individually, ensuring that you don’t accidentally delete important snaps. While time-consuming, manually reviewing and deleting duplicates helps you become familiar with your whole collection and make informed decisions about which photos to keep.
For example, start by opening the Photos app on your iPhone and scrolling through your library. Look for batches of similar-looking images where duplicates might be hiding:
- Identify near-identical images taken in rapid succession.
- Locate obviously duplicated photos, such as those accidentally saved multiple times.
- Zoom in on similar photos to assess their quality and choose the best one to keep.
- Be mindful of sentimental value, choosing to keep certain duplicates for personal reasons.
- Use the heart icon to “favorite” pictures you wish to protect from accidental deletion.
- Delete duplicates by tapping Select, then the trash bin icon, and finally Delete Photos.
2. Leverage iPhone’s Smart Albums
The iPhone’s built-in Photos app includes a feature called Smart Albums, which automatically organizes your photos and can help you identify duplicates hiding within your collection.
Try this quick method to spot duplicates:
- Open the Photos app and tap on ‘Albums’ at the bottom right.
- Find and tap the ‘People’ or ‘Places’ albums, which group similar content together.
- Pinpoint duplicate images by scrolling through organized thumbnails in these albums.
- Select and delete unwanted duplicates by following the steps outlined in the previous section.
- Utilize other Smart Albums like ‘Selfies,’ ‘Screenshots,’ or ‘Live Photos’ for further organization.
- Keep in mind that Smart Albums identify specific photo categories but do not display actual duplicate files.
3. Use a Third-Party App
Investing in a third-party app often simplifies the process of identifying and deleting duplicate photos. Many reputable apps exist in the App Store, boasting impressive features specifically designed to tackle duplicates with minimal manual input from the user.
Consider these popular options:
- Gemini Photos: This widely recommended app identifies and deletes similar shots, blurred images, and duplicates.
- Photo Cleaner: Simple yet efficient, Photo Cleaner offers a range of tools for batch-deleting and organizing photos.
- Duplicate Photos Fixer: Quickly scan your library for duplicates and similar-looking images with this handy app.
- Remo Duplicate Photos Remover: Available for free, Remo boasts an intuitive interface that quickly locates duplicates.
- Slidebox: With simple swipe gestures, view and organize your photos while effortlessly removing duplicates.
- Be sure to research and compare features, ease of use, and user reviews when choosing the best third-party app for you.
Summary Table
| Method | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Manually Review Your Photos | Full control over which photos to delete or keep; | Requires significant time commitment; |
| Leverage iPhone’s Smart Albums | Takes advantage of native iPhone feature; | Does not automatically display duplicate files; |
| Use a Third-Party App | Saves time with specialized tools and features; | Potential cost for premium apps and features; |
With these three pathways to cleaning up your Photos library, managing duplicates on your iPhone doesn’t have to be a cumbersome task. By manually reviewing your images, utilizing Smart Albums, or investing in a third-party app, it’s easier than ever to declutter your collection and save precious storage space on your iOS device.
_It’s worth noting that while this guide focuses on iPhones, many of these steps can be applied to iPads as well. With regular maintenance and smart photo management, you’ll never lose track of your most treasured memories._
