Duplicate photos take up valuable storage space and make it harder to keep your photos organized. iOS 16 has the perfect solution for putting an end to duplicates once and for all! I'll teach you how to merge photos on iPhones using the Photos app to get rid of duplicate pictures.
Jump To:
How to Remove Duplicate Photos on iPhone
Before you learn how to get rid of duplicate photos on iPhones, you may want to read my warning below. Understanding the algorithm used by the Photos app to delete duplicate photos can save you the headache of attempting to retrieve a version of a photo you wanted to keep. For more Photos and Camera app tips, don’t forget to free Tip of the Day newsletter!
- Open the Photos app.
![Open the Photos app.]()
- Tap Albums. If you were recently in an album, you might have to tap Albums multiple times until you see the main Albums menu.
![Tap Albums.]()
- Scroll to the bottom, and under Utilities, tap Duplicates.
![Scroll to the bottom, and under Utilities, tap Duplicates.]()
- Here you can go through them individually and tap on them to select them, then tap the trash icon.
![Here you can go through them individually and tap on them, then tap the trash icon.]()
- You can also tap Select.
![You can also tap Select.]()
- Then tap Select All.
![Then tap Select All.]()
- Tap Merge. You’ll have to confirm that you wish to Merge the duplicates, leaving the highest quality and relevant data while moving the rest to Recently Deleted. If you do this, you can still access your Recently Deleted photos and move them back to your Photos app within 30 days of deletion, sometimes longer.
![Tap Merge.]()
- You can also go through individually and tap Merge to manually delete the duplicate.
![You can also go through individually and tap Merge to manually delete the duplicate.]()
- Finally, you can tap Select, then go through and tap the photos which you wish to delete so that you have more control over what you are keeping.
![Finally, you can tap Select, then go through and tap the photos which you wish to delete so that you have more control over what you are keeping.]()
- Tap the trash icon once you’ve selected the ones you wish to delete.
![Tap the trash icon once you’ve selected the ones you wish to delete.]()
Pro Tip: From my experience, it's better not to overthink and just do whatever you need to do to get rid of duplicates quickly. If you accidentally delete something you want to keep, you have 30 days to restore it.
WARNING: Before You Delete Duplicate Photos iPhone…
Please keep in mind that it will identify duplicate photos of various qualities. If you just want to keep the photos on your phone and don't plan on printing them or entering photo contests, a lower-quality image might not be a problem for you. In this case, you may want to delete the higher-quality one because it takes up more storage, but otherwise, you'll probably want to keep the higher-quality photo.
It is also possible that one of the photos will be a live photo while the other is not. Finally, it is possible that you edited one by blurring out sensitive information, yet it still shows up next to the unblurred one as a duplicate.
If you automatically select them all and merge them, your iPhone will pick the highest-quality image with the most data. So while it should pick the best quality image, which is generally also the unedited version, because doctoring a photo lowers image quality, we cannot be sure that it will always pick the one you prefer. So keep in mind that this process may cost you some edits if you don't do it manually on a case-by-case basis!
Now you know how to automatically find duplicate photos on iPhones and delete them simultaneously. Doing this helps you quickly clean up your Photos app and enjoy more storage on your phone. In the past, you needed to use an app that deletes duplicate photos, but with the iOS 16 update, you can do it without downloading a new app.
