iOS 16.4 Expands Duplicate Image Detection to iCloud Shared Photo Library - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

iOS 16.4 Expands Duplicate Image Detection to iCloud Shared Photo Library

In addition to new emojis, web push notifications, and a range of other features, the iOS 16.4 update expands support for detecting duplicate images to iCloud Shared Photo Library.

ios 16 duplicates
With iOS 16, Apple added a duplicate detection function for the Photos app. If you have duplicate images, the ‌Photos‌ app displays a "Duplicates" folder in the Utilities album section. From there, you can merge all of your duplicate images together.

At launch, the duplicate detection option did not work with ‌iCloud‌ Shared Photo Library, but that's changing with the iOS 16.4 update. According to Apple, after installing iOS 16.4, you will be able to detect duplicate photos and videos in ‌iCloud‌ Shared Photo Library, merging them to cut down on unnecessary extra images.

iOS 16.4 is set to be released to the public as soon as next week. The update also includes VoiceOver support for maps in the Weather app, a fix for an issue that could cause Ask to Buy requests to fail to appear on a parent's device, a bug with Matter-compatible thermostats, and additional Crash Detection optimizations for iPhone 14 models.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

American Express Gold Apple Pay Feature

American Express Announces New Apple Pay Feature

Tuesday June 30, 2026 10:27 am PDT by
American Express today announced that you can now redeem Membership Rewards points when checking out with Apple Pay on the web and in apps on the iPhone and iPad. When checking out with Apple Pay on iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 or later, tap on your eligible American Express card (Platinum, Gold, Green, and others) and select the Membership Rewards points option. You can use points to cover all or...
Apple Acquires Award Winning App Play Feature

Apple Acquires Award-Winning App 'Play'

Monday June 29, 2026 7:39 am PDT by
In February, Apple notified the European Commission that it would be acquiring certain assets from and have the right to hire certain employees from Rabbit 3 Times, the company behind the award-winning app design tool Play. The notification was published on the European Commission's website this week, following a four-month waiting period. Play was a Mac and iPhone app that allowed designers ...
series 10 apple watch titanium digital crown

Report: Apple Watch Redesign Coming Next Year With New Band System

Tuesday June 30, 2026 8:45 am PDT by
A "major overhaul" of the Apple Watch's design is due to arrive next year with a new system for connecting bands, according to a known Weibo leaker. In a set of recent posts, the leaker known as "Instant Digital" linked the new claim to older rumors about an "Apple Watch X" model, which was said to introduce a fresh design and break compatibility with the existing watch band system. Citing...

Top Rated Comments

43 months ago
Will this detect if the same picture exists in personal and shared or just separately?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cmd-Z Avatar
43 months ago
Cool, but maybe I'll wait a few point-releases before being brave enough to try 🤔
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
43 months ago
The list of duplicate images never seems to match between my iPhone and Mac with the same photo library. It makes me wonder if the feature really works well at all.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
43 months ago
"How can we get them to let us scan their pictures?"
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
43 months ago
Good to see this available for shared iCloud library. Will be useful.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
axantas Avatar
43 months ago

Interesting. If there's a one copy of a photo in the shared library and another in the personal library, I wonder which it deletes?
It will delete your personal photo - as you are the only one, who is looking for it. You will never find the copy again.
...sorry, but this duplicate,triplicate, quadruplicate photo-thing is an absolute mess here at Apple.

Don't ever trust an automatic cleanup, as you will lose your pictures for sure. Assure an automatic backup somewhere else/local (I do it on Amazon as a second backup) and be sure, you will not lose your photos.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors