8 tips to quickly master the Photos app on iPhone

The Photos app on your iPhone is more than just a place to store your memories. If you're new to iOS or unfamiliar with Apple's Photos app, check out these tips and tricks to quickly master the app.

1. Organize photos using Albums

You can easily organize your photos into albums in the Photos app. This makes it easier to find and access the images you want without having to scroll through clutter.

To create a new album, follow these steps:

• Open the Photos app and switch to the Albums tab .
• Tap the plus (+) icon in the upper left corner and select New Album .
• Enter a name for this album and tap Save .
• Search for criteria (like people, places, or favorites) to sort photos and select them.
• Click Add in the upper right corner to save your selection.

You can also edit or delete this album at any time by opening it and tapping the ellipsis icon (...) in the upper right corner.

2. Search for photos by keyword or category

The search feature in the Photos app works like a mini search engine. Just type in a keyword or phrase and it will instantly show you all the relevant images. You can further refine your search by using categories like screenshots, selfies, live photos, or even specific content within an image. Here’s how:

• Go to the Search tab in the Photos app from the bottom menu.
• Enter the keyword or category you are searching for.
• Browse through the results and tap a photo to view it.

Additionally, results can be filtered based on specific dates, locations, or people.

3. Adjust the date, time and location of the image

The Photos app automatically organizes photos based on date and location data, though you can adjust this information manually if needed. This is useful for old photos or for finding images from different locations later.

To view the metadata of a photo on iPhone and then edit it, follow these steps:

• Open the photo you want to adjust in the Photos app.
• Click the information icon (i) in the bottom menu bar.
• Click Adjustments at the top of the Info panel .
• Set new date and time using clock and calendar.
• Click Adjust in the upper right corner to save your changes.

To go back to the original date and time, you can follow the same steps and tap Revert in the upper right corner.

Similarly, the position of the image can be changed by following these steps:

• Tap the info icon (i) after opening a photo and swipe up to see location information.
• A map preview with the location pin will appear. Tap Adjust in the lower right corner of the preview.
• Enter the new location in the search bar and select it from the list.

The map preview will show the new location in the info panel. To revert to the original location, repeat the steps above and tap Adjust > Revert .

4. Use visual search to identify objects

Another handy feature in the Photos app is Visual Lookup, which uses machine learning to identify objects in photos and provide relevant information about them. It can recognize things like landmarks, plants, pets, and even foods.

To use this feature, open the Photos app and browse your photo library. Look for a photo with a Visual Lookup icon (similar to an info button but with a sparkle effect).

Note : If you see the regular info button, it means that Visual Lookup is not available for that image.

After tapping the Info icon (i), you'll see a Visual Lookup icon over an object in your photo. Tap it to get more information, such as a related image, description, and Wikipedia link. The icon may vary depending on the object - for example, a fork icon for food or a leaf icon for plants.

5. Annotate images using the markup tool

The built-in Markup feature contains a variety of annotation tools that you can use to draw or add text to images to give them a personal touch. Here's how to access it:

• Open the photo you want to edit in the Photos app and tap Edit .
• Now, tap on the Markup icon (looks like a pen tip) at the top.
• Select a color and drawing tool from the toolbar below.
• Tap the plus (+) icon at the bottom to add text or shapes to your photo. Shake your phone to undo or use the undo/redo arrows at the top.
• When finished, tap Done to save your changes.

To remove the caption, reopen the photo and tap Edit > Revert > Revert to Original .

6. Recover accidentally deleted photos

When you delete a photo or video, it goes to the Recently Deleted album and stays there for 30 days before being permanently deleted from your device. So, as long as you act quickly, you can recover accidentally deleted photos on your iPhone by following these steps:

• Open the Photos app and go to Albums.
• Scroll down and tap Recently Deleted .
• Tap and hold the file you want to restore, then select Restore .
• To restore all photos, tap Select at the top, then tap the ellipsis icon (...) in the bottom right corner and select Restore .

Restored photos will be returned to their original album.

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 remain visible and accessible to anyone with access to your device. To prevent this, you can lock these albums with Face ID or Touch ID .

• Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
• Scroll down and select Photos .
• Now, scroll down and turn on Use Face ID (or Use Touch ID ).

The next time you open the Hidden or Recently Deleted album, it will require Face ID or Touch ID authentication to access the content. This adds an extra layer of security and ensures that private photos are truly hidden. You can even lock the Photos app on your iPhone using the built-in Shortcuts app if needed.

8. Hide Hidden Photo Album

Once you lock the Hidden album, you can hide it from your Photos app. To hide the Hidden album on iOS, follow these steps:

• Open the Settings app .
• Scroll down, find and select the Photos app .
• Scroll down and turn off Show hidden albums .

The hidden album will now disappear from the Photos app. If you want to access it again, you'll need to go to Settings > Photos and turn on Show Hidden Album .

These tips and tricks are sure to help you master the Photos app on your iPhone in no time. Whether you want to organize your photos efficiently, make them more private, or recover deleted photos, this list has you covered.