How Does iPhone Detect Duplicate Photos in iOS 16?

An iPhone running iOS 16 analyzes your image using image analyzing algorithms that also consider your image’s metadata. It also uses variables like size, location, file format, photo date, and more to detect duplicates on your device. If the Duplicates album is missing from the Photos app or your duplicates aren’t getting detected, you can use the fixes below to help you troubleshoot the same.

Fix Duplicate Photos Not Showing Up in iOS 16

You can use the fixes mentioned below to fix duplicate photos not showing up on your device. Start with the first fix and make your way through the list until you manage to fix your issue.

1. It Takes A While

Your iPhone will need to analyze and index each image on your device to detect and find all duplicate photos. As you might have guessed, this can take some time if you have a huge photo library. An iPhone running iOS 16 intelligently recognizes and gets used to how you use your iPhone over time. Thus the OS indexes your photos only when it is plugged in and not being used by you. This helps preserve the battery and ensures that background indexing does not use CPU and RAM resources. According to user reports, it can take anywhere from 24 hours to up to a week for your iPhone to detect all duplicate photos on your device, depending on the size of your library. We recommend you wait a week before you give up on this feature. In most cases, duplicates will get detected on your device within a week.

2. Force Restart Your iPhone

Force Restarting your iPhone can help it fix background bugs and cache issues that might prevent the indexing of Photos on your device. It can also help restart background services that might be necessary for image indexing to work as intended. To force restart your iPhone, use the restart sequence. Press the Volume Up button and then the Volume Down button. After that, hold down the Sleep/Wake button until you see the Apple logo. Once you spot the logo, let go of the Sleep/Wake button and let your device restart normally. Once your device restarts, we recommend you leave it plugged in for a while. If cache issues were preventing indexing on your device, then your iPhone should now be able to detect duplicate photos on your iPhone.

3. Check Your iCloud Sync

If you’re using iCloud sync, then it is a known cause of the issue with image indexing on devices running iOS 16. This is because iPhones running iOS 16 will wait for all images synced with the iCloud to complete their sync before indexing begins. This helps ensure that all images on your device are analyzed and scanned for duplicates. Sadly, this works in reverse as well, where your iPhone will wait for your iCloud synced photos to be uploaded to the cloud before it starts detecting duplicates. In such cases, you can check your current sync status using the steps below.

  1. Open the Settings app and tap your Apple ID at the top.
  2. Now tap iCloud.
  3. Tap Photos at the top.
  4. Now check the Status beside the same. If it reads Syncing , then wait for the sync to be finished. If it reads Syncing Paused then you should be able to view its reason at the bottom.
  5. Depending on your preferences, you can tap Resume Syncing to immediately sync your photos to the cloud. Once syncing is finished, your device should index and detect duplicate images in the Photos app as intended.

4. Try A Different Wi-Fi Network

iCloud sync only happens over a Wi-Fi network by default, and it might not be compatible with your current ISP. This can be due to DNS issues, firewall rules, and more. We recommend you connect to a different Wi-Fi network and let your phone complete its iCloud sync. In most cases, if your sync process seems to be stuck, then changing the network can help restart the process again and fix this issue. You can use the Wi-Fi control center module to switch networks directly. You can also switch networks using the Wi-Fi option in the Settings app.

5. Reset Your Network Settings

Let’s finish troubleshooting your network before we move on to more fixes. This will help ensure that your network isn’t preventing your photos from syncing, which can pause image indexing on your device. Resetting your network settings can help fix most network issues on your iPhone. Keep in mind that all stored Wi-Fi passwords will be deleted from your device during this process. We recommend you store your passwords in a safe place before proceeding with the steps below.

  1. Open the Settings app and tap General.
  2. Now scroll down and tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
  3. Tap and select Reset.
  4. Now select Reset Network Settings.
  5. Type in your device passcode to confirm your choice. Your iPhone will now restart and reset all network settings. Once done, check your iCloud sync again. If the sync is completed, your device should now be able to index your images and subsequently detect all duplicates.

6. Test Duplicates

Let’s test the duplicate detection feature by creating a duplicate manually. This is because the Duplicates album won’t show up in the Photos app if there are no duplicates in your Photo library. Use the steps below to help you along the way.

  1. Open the Photos app and open a random image on your device. Now tap the More Options icon in the top right corner.
  2. Tap and select Duplicate. The photo will now be duplicated on your device. We now recommend you wait a few hours and check the Photos app again. If a Duplicates album shows up in the App, then you did not have duplicate photos on your device, which is why this album was missing earlier.

7. Duplicates Won’t Show Up If Different File Formats

Duplicate images won’t also be detected on your device if they are in a different file format. For example, if you have an image that is in the JPEG format and its identical copy in the PNG format, then these two images will be treated as separate images by your iOS 16 device. This could be another reason why duplicates are not detected on your device. Use the steps below to check an image’s file format on your iPhone running iOS 16.

  1. Open the Photos app and open the concerned image. Now swipe up on your screen or tap the i icon.
  2. You should now be able to view the image’s file format beside its camera information at the top.

8. Reset Your Device Settings

If Duplicates is still broken on your iOS 16 device, then we recommend you try resetting all your settings. This can help fix issues with misconfigured settings that could prevent image indexing on your iPhone running iOS 16. Here’s how you can reset all your iPhone settings at once.

  1. Open the Settinsg app and tap General.
  2. Now tap and select Transfer or Reset iPhone.
  3. Tap Reset at the bottom.
  4. Tap and select Reset All Settings at the top.
  5. Type in your passcode to confirm your identity. Your device will now restart and reset all its settings. Once done, you can try checking the Photos app in a few hours by giving your time enough time to start indexing your photos. If misconfigured settings prevented image indexing and duplicate detection, the issue should now be fixed.

9. Reset Your Device

You can now try resetting your device and starting anew to help fix image indexing and duplicate detection on your iPhone running iOS 16. In most cases, a reset will help get everything back up and running again. It is highly recommended you back up your device before proceeding with the steps below, as a reset will delete all data and apps stored on your device.

  1. Open the Settings app and tap General.
  2. Now tap Transfer or Reset iPhone at the bottom.
  3. Tap and select Erase All Content and Settings.
  4. Tap Continue at the bottom.
  5. Now, type in your device passcode to verify your identity.
  6. Type in your Apple ID password to turn off Find My for your iPhone.
  7. Tap Turn Off once you’re done.
  8. Finally, tap Erase. Your device will now restart a few times and reset itself to factory defaults. Once reset, set up your device as new and test duplicate detection by creating a duplicate manually. This should be fast, and indexing should work out of the box. Once you’ve verified everything works, you can restore your backup and wait for your iPhone to find duplicates.

10. Reset Your device in Recovery Mode

If you’re still facing issues, then we recommend resetting your device in the Recovery mode using iTunes. This will help install a fresh copy of the latest release of iOS 16 on your iPhone, which should help get everything working again. As usual, we recommend you back up your device as all data will be deleted during this process.

  1. Connect your iPhone to your computer but do not launch iTunes just yet. Press and release the Volume Up button, then press and release the Volume down button. Once you’re done, hold down the Sleep/Wake button until your screen goes blank. This means your device is now in Recovery mode.
  2. Launch iTunes, which will automatically prompt you to restore your iPhone in recovery mode. Click Restore and follow the on-screen instructions to restore your device. Wait for the process to complete, and do not disconnect your device until prompted by iTunes. Once your device is ready, you will be greeted by the welcome screen. In most cases, duplicate detection should now work on your iPhone.

11. Contact Apple Support

You could be facing an issue specific to your device or region. In such cases, Apple Support can help you better diagnose your device’s issue using specialized tools. Use the link below to get in touch with Apple Support in your region.

Can you delete detected duplicates?

Yes, you can easily delete detected duplicates instead of Merging them. Select and use the delete option as you would do for any other photo on your iPhone in the Photos app.

How does Merge differ from deleting duplicates?

Merge will delete duplicates while preserving one copy for each detected image. In such cases, only duplicates are removed, and you don’t lose out on your original pictures. When deleting, you can choose to delete duplicates while keeping a copy on your device or choose to delete all duplicate images at your discretion.

Why can’t I delete some duplicates on iOS 16?

Duplicate images synced from iTunes won’t be deletable from your device. In such cases, you can remove the photos from your iTunes library and then sync your device again to remove them. If you own a Mac, then you should be able to use the duplicates feature in the desktop version of the Photos app to delete these detected duplicates.

Will deleting duplicates remove them from Albums?

Yes, deleted or merged duplicates will also be removed from their respective albums.

Final Words

While modern iPhones have started offering mode and more storage over the years, you can still run out of space if you’re an avid photographer. Losing space to duplicate images is never a good thing, and we hope you were able to fix Duplicates feature in the photos app using the guide above. You should now be able to reclaim some space and continue capturing images as usual.

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