8 Tips and Tricks to Quickly Master the Photos App on Your iPhone

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:

1. Open the Photos app and switch to the Albums tab.
2. Tap the plus (+) icon in the top-left corner and choose New Album.
3. Enter a name for this album, then tap Save.
4. Search for criteria (like people, places, or favorites) to sort your photos and select them.
5. Tap on Add in the top-right corner to save your selections.

You can also modify or delete this album whenever you like by opening it and tapping the ellipsis (…) 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:

1. Head to the Search tab in the Photos app from the bottom menu.
2. Type a keyword or category you’re looking for.
3. Browse through the results and tap on a photo to view it.

Additionally, you can 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.

To view an image’s metadata on your iPhone and then edit it, follow these steps:

1. Open the photo you want to adjust in the Photos app.
2. Tap the Info (i) icon in the bottom menu bar.
3. Tap Adjust at the top of the Info panel.
4. Set a new time and date using the clock and calendar.
5. Tap Adjust in the top-right corner to save your changes.

To return to the original date and time, you can follow the same steps and tap Revert in the top-right corner.

Likewise, you can change the location of a photo by following these steps:

1. Tap the Info (i) icon once you open a photo and then swipe up to view the location info.
2. A map preview with a location pin will appear. Tap Adjust in the bottom-right corner of the preview.
3. Enter the new location in the search bar and choose it from the list.

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

4. Use Visual Look Up to Recognize Objects

Another handy feature in the Photos app is Visual Look Up, which uses machine learning to identify objects in your photos and 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 the Info (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.

The built-in Markup feature houses a bunch of annotation tools you can use to draw or add text to images for a personal touch. Here’s how to access it:

1. Open the photo you want to edit in the Photos app and tap Edit.
2. Now, tap the Markup icon (it looks like a pen tip) at the top.
3. Choose a color and drawing tool from the bottom toolbar.
4. 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.
5. When you’re finished, tap Done to save the changes.

To remove the annotations, reopen the photo and tap Edit > 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 can recover accidentally deleted photos on your iPhone by following these steps:

1. Open the Photos app and head to the Albums section.
2. Scroll down and tap Recently Deleted.
3. Long-press on the file you want to recover, then select Recover.
4. To recover all photos, tap Select at the top, then tap the ellipsis (…) icon in the bottom-right corner and choose Recover All.

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.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and select Photos.
3. Now, scroll down and toggle on Use Face ID (or Use 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 even lock your iPhone’s Photos app with the built-in Shortcuts app if needed.

8. Hide the Hidden Photo Album

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

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down, find, and select the Photos app.
3. Scroll down and toggle off Show Hidden Album.

The hidden album will now disappear from your Photos app. If you wish to access it again, you have to go to Settings > Photos and toggle on Show 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.