DB LabsQuick Answer
For exact duplicates, open the Photos app, tap Albums, then scroll to Utilities > Duplicates (iOS 16+). iOS shows pairs and groups. Tap Merge to combine each set into one photo. For visually similar photos like burst shots or slight variations, you need a third-party app like Gemini Photos or Slidebox, which uses perceptual hashing to find near-matches. The Bursts media type also auto-groups rapid-fire shots so you can pick the best from each burst.
Built-in Method: Duplicates Album
1 Open Photos App
Launch Photos on your iPhone running iOS 16 or later. Make sure your photo library has finished scanning (this happens automatically over time).
2 Tap Albums
Tap Albums at the bottom. Scroll down to the Utilities section.
3 Open Duplicates
Tap Duplicates. iOS displays groups of exact duplicate photos. Each group shows the count (for example, "2 Items").
4 Merge Each Group
Tap Merge next to a group. iOS combines them into one photo, keeping the highest quality version and merging metadata. Confirm Merge X Exact Copies.
For Burst Shots: Bursts Album
5 Open Bursts Album
Go to Albums > Media Types > Bursts. Each burst is shown as a single thumbnail with a count badge.
6 Pick the Best Shot
Open a burst, tap Select, and review the frames. iOS suggests favorites with a gray dot. Tap Done > Keep Only X Favorites to delete the rest.
Third-Party Apps for Similar Photos
For more thorough similar-photo detection:
- Gemini Photos: AI-powered duplicate finder that detects similar shots, blurry photos, and screenshots.
- Slidebox: Manual swipe-to-clean with similar-shot grouping.
- Swype Photo Cleaner: Groups similar photos visually so you can decide which to keep with a swipe.
Swype Photo Cleaner is a great option if you want to manually decide between similar shots. The app shows photos one at a time so you can quickly compare and pick keepers. For more cleanup tools, see finding and removing duplicates, bulk deleting blurry photos, and our merge duplicate photos guide.