iOS 15: How to Use Visual Lookup in Photos to Identify Landmarks, Plants, and Pets - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

iOS 15: How to Use Visual Lookup in Photos to Identify Landmarks, Plants, and Pets

by

In iOS 15, Apple made further advancements in on-device machine learning and integrated them into the Photos app to make your iPhone more intelligent at recognizing the contents of pictures.

ios 15 visual lookup
In other words, the ‌Photos‌ app can now identify various objects, landmarks, animals, books, plants, works of art, and more in your image library, and then offer information about them that it draws from the web.

This new intelligent feature is called Visual Lookup, and the following steps show you how you can use it to get more clued up on the things you've taken pictures of with your iPhone through the years.

  1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone and select a picture with a clearly defined subject, such as a flower or animal.
  2. Check the info ("i") icon at the bottom of the screen. If it has a little star over it, tap it – this indicates there's a Visual Lookup you can examine.
  3. Tap the little icon in the center of the photo to bring up the Lookup search results.

photos
In Visual Lookup, search results consist of Siri Knowledge, similar images found on the web, and other online sources of information. For all the details on the other new ‌Photos‌ features in iOS 15, be sure to check our dedicated roundup.

Related Forum: iOS 15

Top Rated Comments

Mac Rules Avatar
69 months ago
Only available when region set to US
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HQuest Avatar
69 months ago
Still needs work 😂



Attachment Image
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
The Barron Avatar
69 months ago

Must be only in IOS 15 - just tried this is 14.6 and can not find any "i" button.
The article does say iOS 15.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
69 months ago
I would like this to work the other way around. Would be nice to be able to search my almost 20,000 photos with words. For instance "Red Car" might help me quickly find that old mustang picture. I suppose it would mean that Apple would use AI to search all your photos and tag them with what it thinks the content is. Now that would be useful.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
andysw9 Avatar
69 months ago

Are y'all sure? Is there something called "tags" that are different than keywords? The only keywords I see in my photo library are ones that I added manually. I'm looking in Photos on my Mac. iOS 14 Photos doesn't appear to expose keywords. iOS 15 Photos seems like it will expose more of the EXIF data to the user.

Where do I go to see the tags that it adds automatically?

I know Photos has scanned for faces for years now and photos that are geotagged are searchable by location. But I don't think that's what we're talking about.
Best thing to do is likely just try using the search and see how it works. Not sure how else to convince you that the functionality is there. Photos have been searchable with keywords for some time now. The only thing I have done with any of my photos is shoot them on the phone, but they have been automatically categorised and it's mostly pretty accurate.


It doesn't add tags/keywords, it builds it's own internal 'categories' lists to which it adds all appropriate photos, and these are exposed to the user through the search function - so if in Photos you search for 'car' it will return any photos it has put in its 'cars' category, as well as anything you've tagged with 'car'. There's always a few it gets wrong, but it's sometimes very impressive (e.g. I thought it had falsely identified a photo as including a cat, but there was a very small reflection of our family cat in a window). It will also file a photo under multiple categories if appropriate so you can search 'car tree' to just get photos that include both.

The only slight downside is you can't correct it - if it doesn't recognise there's a car in your photo, you can add a keyword, but if it thinks there's a car in your photo but there isn't, you can't tell it so.

Photos has actually supported this general search function for several years now, though the number of categories it recognises has continued to grow.
Exactly this.




Attachment Image

Attachment Image

Attachment Image
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
andysw9 Avatar
69 months ago

That is cool, but you have to add the keywords yourself, manually.
No you don't. I have never tagged a single photo and my entire library is searchable.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone duo colors

Apple Shares Photos Shot on iPhone Duo

Thursday October 1, 2026 1:37 pm PDT by
Apple on Instagram today shared a curated gallery of six photos shot on the iPhone Duo. The photos were shot by American photographers Jake Michaels and Jason Nocito, as part of a project commissioned by Apple. iPhone Duo is equipped with four cameras:A rear 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera A rear 48-megapixel Ultra Wide camera A front 12-megapixel Center Stage camera in the outer display A...
iphone 18 pro max glacier

iPhone 18 Pro Unboxing: New Colors, Better Photos, and Smaller Dynamic Island

Thursday September 17, 2026 11:34 am PDT by
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are launching tomorrow, but we were able to get one early to share some initial impressions. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Both the 18 Pro and Pro Max are heavier than the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models they replace, and it's most noticeable when you pick up the Pro Max. It was a heavy phone to begin with, and now there's ...
google photos wardrobe

Google Photos Wardrobe Feature Comes to iOS

Thursday September 24, 2026 1:33 pm PDT by
Google today said its digital wardrobe option is available in the Google Photos iOS app in the U.S., India, and Brazil. Google first announced the feature back in April, but it was limited to Android users until now. The wardrobe option uses AI to pull images of clothing from the Google Photos library, organizing them into a digital closet. Users can put items together to create outfits ...
Latest Stories
Apple TV 4K and HomePod Mini Price Increases 'Much More Striking' Than New Features
Apple TV 4K and HomePod Mini Price Increases 'Much More Striking' Than New Features
2 minutes ago
The MacRumors Show: Was HomeView Worth the Wait?
The MacRumors Show: Was HomeView Worth the Wait?
1 hour ago
Apple Refers to HomeView as 'HomePodDevice' in Legal Document
Apple Refers to HomeView as 'HomePodDevice' in Legal Document
2 hours ago
Apple Pre-Orders Kick Off With First Discounts on HomeView and Apple TV 4K
Apple Pre-Orders Kick Off With First Discounts on HomeView and Apple TV 4K
3 hours ago
Developers Question Scope of Potential Apple Antitrust Settlement
Developers Question Scope of Potential Apple Antitrust Settlement
4 hours ago
iPhone Duo Resold for $5,000 on eBay After Selling Out
iPhone Duo Resold for $5,000 on eBay After Selling Out
4 hours ago
Massive Discounts Hit 2026 MacBook Pro With Up to $800 Off
Massive Discounts Hit 2026 MacBook Pro With Up to $800 Off
4 hours ago
iPhone Duo is Sold Out for Christmas as Shipping Estimates Slip to 2027
iPhone Duo is Sold Out for Christmas as Shipping Estimates Slip to 2027
4 hours ago
Didn't Pre-Order an iPhone Duo Yet? Wait Times Are Significant Now
Didn't Pre-Order an iPhone Duo Yet? Wait Times Are Significant Now
5 hours ago
First Apple TV 4K Pre-Order Discount Arrives at Amazon
First Apple TV 4K Pre-Order Discount Arrives at Amazon
5 hours ago
iPhone Duo Pre-Order Deals: The Best Carrier Offers From AT&T and T-Mobile
iPhone Duo Pre-Order Deals: The Best Carrier Offers From AT&T and T-Mobile
5 hours ago
iPhone Duo Now Available to Pre-Order From Apple
iPhone Duo Now Available to Pre-Order From Apple
6 hours ago
iPhone 18 Pro vs. iPhone Duo Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Choose?
iPhone 18 Pro vs. iPhone Duo Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Choose?
8 hours ago
Apple Store Down Ahead of iPhone Duo Pre-Orders
Apple Store Down Ahead of iPhone Duo Pre-Orders
8 hours ago
Oops, Apple's Website Just Hinted at iPad Mini 8
Oops, Apple's Website Just Hinted at iPad Mini 8
17 hours ago
OLED MacBook Pro Won't Get M7 Chips Until Late 2027
OLED MacBook Pro Won't Get M7 Chips Until Late 2027
19 hours ago
Apple Pledged $25 Million to Trump's White House Ballroom
Apple Pledged $25 Million to Trump's White House Ballroom
21 hours ago
Touchscreen MacBook Pro Could Launch on November 6
Touchscreen MacBook Pro Could Launch on November 6
22 hours ago
New Withings Users Must Pay $99/Year for Apple Health Syncing
New Withings Users Must Pay $99/Year for Apple Health Syncing
22 hours ago
Meta and Apple Bring Muse Spark Open AI Model to Mac Studio
Meta and Apple Bring Muse Spark Open AI Model to Mac Studio
1 day ago
iPad Mini 8: Apple Has Tested Both 60Hz and 120Hz ProMotion Displays
iPad Mini 8: Apple Has Tested Both 60Hz and 120Hz ProMotion Displays
1 day ago
Apple TV 4K 2022 vs. 2026 Buyer's Guide: All Differences Compared
Apple TV 4K 2022 vs. 2026 Buyer's Guide: All Differences Compared
1 day ago
Apple CEO John Ternus on Early Foldables: 'Kind of Cheap and Crappy'
Apple CEO John Ternus on Early Foldables: 'Kind of Cheap and Crappy'
1 day ago
Greg Joswiak Says Apple Isn't Focused on Making AI for 'Lunatic Fringe'
Greg Joswiak Says Apple Isn't Focused on Making AI for 'Lunatic Fringe'
1 day ago
Amazon Offers $120 Discount on AirPods Max 2, $50 Off AirPods Pro 3
Amazon Offers $120 Discount on AirPods Max 2, $50 Off AirPods Pro 3
1 day ago
Apple CEO John Ternus Featured on Cover of TIME Magazine: 'New Era'
Apple CEO John Ternus Featured on Cover of TIME Magazine: 'New Era'
1 day ago
Apple Announces Deadline to 'Get Ready' to Pre-Order the iPhone Duo
Apple Announces Deadline to 'Get Ready' to Pre-Order the iPhone Duo
1 day ago
MKBHD is 'Not Convinced' About Apple's New HomeView, Here's Why
MKBHD is 'Not Convinced' About Apple's New HomeView, Here's Why
1 day ago
Apple's Wall-Mounted HomeView Ships Without a Power Adapter
Apple's Wall-Mounted HomeView Ships Without a Power Adapter
1 day ago
Rare Apple-1 With Steve Jobs Letter Sells for $1.15 Million
Rare Apple-1 With Steve Jobs Letter Sells for $1.15 Million
1 day ago

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors