{"id":48981,"date":"2023-11-17T20:30:05","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T20:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/?p=48981"},"modified":"2026-08-18T12:40:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T12:40:56","slug":"a-complete-guide-on-how-to-remove-duplicate-photos-on-iphone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/remove-duplicate-photos-iphone.html","title":{"rendered":"How to Delete Duplicate & Similar Photos on iPhone"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you want to delete duplicate photos on your iPhone, there\u2019s already a tool for that in the Photos app. It finds exact duplicates and lets you merge them or simply delete the copies you don\u2019t need. But that only solves part of the problem. Take two almost identical photos with a slightly different angle or lighting, for example, and iOS may not consider them duplicates at all. For those, you\u2019ll need another way.<\/p>\r\n

💬 So, we\u2019ll start with a third-party cleaner that gives you a few more options than the built-in Duplicates utility. After that, we\u2019ll move on to Apple\u2019s own tool and a couple of workarounds you can use without leaving the Photos app.<\/div>\r\n

<\/span>How to Delete Duplicate Photos on iPhone<\/span><\/h2>\r\n

There are several ways to remove duplicate photos on your iPhone, as well as get rid of similar photos. The method best suited for your use case depends on whether you need to clean up duplicates or similars (or both), and if you prefer using third-party or native applications. Either way, every method we cover below is free!<\/p>\r\n\r\n

<\/span>Method 1:<\/span> Use an App to Delete Duplicate and Near-Duplicate iPhone Photos<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\r\n

You may be familiar with the Duplicates<\/b> utility provided in the native Photos app. It\u2019s powerful, but it has a major weakness (which we briefly mentioned above and will talk more about later). With that limitation in mind, the truly efficient method to get rid of duplicate photos on your iPhone, as well as similar images, is to use a third-party <\/a>app that is specially designed to find them.<\/p>\r\n

ℹ️ You should also keep in mind that your idea of \u201cduplicates\u201d may be different from what iOS considers duplicates. Even extremely identical photos with slight differences in angle, lighting, filters, etc., are not<\/b> considered duplicates by iOS.<\/div>\r\n

There are several in the App Store that you can choose from, but we\u2019ll be using an app called Clever Cleaner: AI Cleanup App<\/a> for this guide. Its Similars<\/b> feature automatically finds duplicate and similar photos and sorts them into groups, then it uses AI algorithms to pick the Best Shot in each group (you don\u2019t have to compare every photo yourself). From there, you can clean up duplicates and similar photos from your Gallery in a semi-automatic or fully automatic manner. Both options are great, and your choice depends on the level of control you might want to have.<\/p>\r\n

\"Clever<\/p>\r\n

To delete duplicate photos on iPhone using Clever Cleaner:<\/b><\/p>\r\n

    \r\n\t
  1. Download<\/a> Clever Cleaner: AI Cleanup App from the App Store. When you first open the app, you\u2019ll have to grant Full Access<\/b> to your photo library. Don\u2019t worry\u2014we verify that it\u2019s completely safe!\"Granting<\/li>\r\n\t
  2. On the main screen, tap Similars<\/b>. To remove every detected duplicate and similar photo at once, tap Select All<\/b>, then tap Delete<\/b> at the bottom of the screen. Alternatively, you can tap a photo within a group to review it in more detail.
    \r\n\"Using<\/li>\r\n\t
  3. For each group of similar or duplicate photos, Clever Cleaner automatically selects the Best Shot<\/b> and marks the remaining images as candidates for deletion. After verifying the selection, return to the main Similars screen and tap Delete<\/b>.
    \r\n\"Selecting<\/li>\r\n\t
  4. Right after that, a confirmation window will appear. Take one last look to make sure the correct duplicate and similar photos are selected, then tap the red Delete<\/b> button to confirm their removal
    \r\n\"Reviewing<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n
    ℹ️ After deleting photos with Clever Cleaner, they\u2019ll still be saved in the Recently Deleted<\/b> folder in the native Photos app. Make sure to delete them again from there.<\/div>\r\n

    And if you want to clean up your iPhone storage<\/a> even more, Clever Cleaner has other features that can help:<\/b><\/p>\r\n