When I recently switched to the iPhone, I was blown away by the number of amazing features available in the Photos app. Every day, I discover new features and hidden tips and tricks. Whether you’ve been using iPhone for a while, or just switched (like me), you will find amazing use of the Photos app. To help you, I have compiled the best tips, tricks, and hidden features of the Photos app on iPhone and include the ones that arrived with the new iOS 18 update.
Table of Contents
1. Enhanced Search Functionality
My number one favorite feature after updating my iPhone to iOS 18 is the improved search functionality in the Photos app. It has made finding images incredibly easy. Just look at how impressive it is: when I search for “game,” it scans my media and shows all the photos and videos where a game is identified, even creating timestamps in videos.
Let’s say you want to find an old picture of my friend eating. Just type “[Friend Name] eating,” and you’ll get photos and videos with your friend eating in them. If you’re interested in discovering more unique ways to search your photos on iPhone, you can check out our comprehensive guide.
Note: You’ll need to assign names to each person in the Photos app for the above feature to work.
2. Face ID Protection for Photos
Protecting my photos is my primary concern because I do have to share with my young cousings. Luckily, that’s possible with Face ID. While many people hide their pictures and videos to protect their content, you can secure entire Photos app by locking it with Face ID. Tap and hold the Photos app and select the Require Face ID option.
3. Creating Personalized Stickers
While it was introduced in iOS 17, the process of creating them was a bit tedious. Personally, I’ve become a huge fan. Instead of sending the same old boring stickers, tap and hold the subject of a photo and select the Add sticker option. You can use this sticker wherever you want, making my messages much more engaging and unique.
4. Batch Background Removal
You might already know that you can remove the subject from an image and make the background transparent. But did you know there’s a hidden trick to remove background from multiple images at once? Here’s a quick guide:
- Select the pictures, tap the Share icon, and select Save to Files.
- Open the Files app and go to the location where you saved the media files.
- Once saved, select the images, tap the circle with the three dots icon, and hit Remove Background.
Within a second, you’ll have images with transparent backgrounds.
5. Batch Photo Editing
Let’s say you returned from a trip with many amazing pictures. Now you have to edit each photo individually before posting them to Instagram. Sounds tedious, right? What if I told you that you can copy the edits from one image and apply them to other images all at once? Here’s how to do it:
- Edit one photo, then tap the circle with three dots icon in the top right corner.
- Select the Copy Edits option, choose the edits you want to copy, and hit Copy.
- Select the photos you want to apply the copied edits to, tap the circle with three dots icon, and select the Paste Edits option.
All your photos will get the same edits in a batch. Pretty nifty, right?
6. Copy Text From Videos
Many think that they copy text from images. But you can do that with handwritten notes and videos. For the video part, pause the video, tap and hold a word, adjust the grab points to refine the selection, and then select the Copy option. That’s not all, it even works on handwritten notes.
Wait, there is actually one more hidden way to copy text. Launch the Camera app, point towards the text and when the Live Text icon appears (three lines in a square), tap on it. From there, you can select the text to copy, translate, or search the web.
7. Convert Live Photos to Videos
Did you know you can convert multiple Live Photos into videos? Let me show you how. Select your Live Photos, tap the circle with the three dots icon, and choose Save as Video. This feature is perfect for creating short and engaging videos like capturing your kid blowing out birthday candles or your pet playing fetch.
8. Improved Photo Filtering
In iOS 18, Apple introduced a major revamp to its Photos app, including an improved photo filtering feature. With just one tap, you can sort my media to view only screenshots, videos, edited photos, and favorites. This has made it much easier for me to navigate through my photos and videos.
9. Utilities Section Features
When discussing the Photos app features with my friends and colleagues, I was surprised to learn that they only use the Hidden and Recently Deleted features in the Utilities section. However, it offers many more useful features that are worth checking out.
For example, you can easily get rid of duplicate photos, organize documents, check recently viewed pictures, and more. You need to explore this section – you might find a useful tool you didn’t know existed.
10. Adjust Portrait Mode Background Blur
If you took a shot in Portrait Mode but aren’t happy with the background blur, you can adjust it later in the Photos app. Open the picture, tap the Edit icon, then tap the (ƒ) icon in the top left corner. Use the Depth Control slider to increase or decrease the level of background blur in the portrait.
Quick Tips
Before you go, here are some quick hidden tips that deserve your attention:
- While editing photos, you can quickly undo an action by shaking your iPhone.
- To quickly go to the top of the photo library or album, hit the Status Bar. To go to the bottom, hit the bottom menu if available.
- Rearrange photos in an album by tapping and holding them, then moving them where you want.
- Don’t like the cover picture of an album? Long press the image and select Make Key Photo.
