I noticed my iPhone photo library is full of duplicate photos, probably from backups or downloads. It’s hard to sort through so many images. What’s the best way to quickly remove these duplicates?
Here’s a guide to declutter your iPhone photo library and zap those duplicates without breaking the bank! Let’s face it—your phone is probably crammed with multiple versions of the same picture: a blurry selfie here, five angles of the same sunset there. The good news? Solving this problem is easier than you think, and you can do it for free. Here’s how to tackle it, step by step.
Effortlessly Clear Out Duplicate Photos From Your iPhone
Cleaning up your photo gallery has never been simpler. While iOS has a built-in feature to deal with exact duplicates, it doesn’t always catch pictures that are similar. You know—like those slightly different group poses or burst shots that flood your album. Enter Clever Cleaner, an app that’s been hyped on Reddit for cutting down clutter. Bonus: it’s free! And yeah, I tried it myself—it works like a charm.
How to Get Started:
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Download Clever Cleaner:
Grab the app from the App Store. Trust me, no shady business here. The link is right here. -
Allow Access to Your Photos:
After installation, grant the app access to your photo library so it can work its AI magic. I was skeptical at first, but seriously—nothing bad happened. -
Scanning Time:
Depending on how massive your photo gallery is, the app will take somewhere between 2 to 6 minutes to scan everything.
The Clean-up Process:
Once the scan is done, you get a breakdown of your duplicates and similar images. The app groups them neatly, automatically picking the clearest or highest-quality photo from each set.
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Review the Results:
It’s surprisingly intuitive. You can take a quick peek at what’s staying and what’s marked for deletion. If you don’t agree with the choices, you can adjust them manually. -
Tap “Smart Cleanup”:
Once you’re satisfied, hit the big cleanup button. This moves unwanted files to the trash within your Photos app. -
Final Step:
Open the Photos app and empty your trash folder to free up space. Done and done!
My Results—11 GB Gone in Minutes! 
That’s it! Goodbye, thousands of redundant photos. The process left me with a streamlined gallery and freed up a ridiculous amount of storage—11 GB, to be exact! Plus, it literally didn’t cost me a cent.
Extra Resources to Dive Deeper:
If you’re looking for more tips and tricks to clean your iPhone storage, check out these links:
- 4 Methods to Remove Duplicate Photos (MacGasm)
- Reddit’s Take on How to Delete Duplicate Photos
- Apple Discussions: Handling Duplicates and Similar Photos
- Clever Cleaner App Discussion on Reddit
- More Options from InsanelyMac
- YouTube Video - Removing Duplicate Photos
- How to Fix “iPhone Storage Full” Without Spending More
Happy decluttering! Let’s make some room for those new memories without feeling attacked by the dreaded ‘Storage Almost Full’ notification ever again.
Honestly, deleting duplicate photos on an iPhone has become one of those necessary evils everyone’s gotta deal with at some point. And yeah, @mikeappsreviewer has a pretty solid take with that Clever Cleaner app—sounds easy enough, and free is always a good vibe, right? But let me throw a couple of alternative ideas into the mix here, 'cause why not?
1. Built-In iOS Feature:
If you’re not in the mood to trust third-party apps, poke around in the iPhone’s Photos app first. iOS 16 actually introduced a “Duplicates” feature right in the Photos library. (Kinda feels like Apple joined the party super late with that one, tbh.) Go to “Albums,” scroll down to the “Utilities” section, and you should see “Duplicates.” Apple’s algorithm does a decent job, but it only finds exact copies. Similar photos? Yeah, good luck with that.
2. Old-School Manual Cleanup:
Okay, this method straight-up sucks if you’ve got thousands of photos. But hear me out—sometimes scrolling through your gallery on a lazy Sunday afternoon with a coffee in one hand can help you relive memories while deleting duplicates. Burst shots? Gone. Random screenshots of memes you saved three times? Gone. It’s therapeutic…until you get bored 10 minutes in.
3. Cloud Sync Checkup:
Sometimes duplicates happen because you’re syncing to both iCloud and some other cloud storage (Google Photos, Amazon, whatever). Turn off one of ’em and stick to a single cloud service. Those sync errors love creating chaos. Oh, and if you’ve imported batches through iTunes in the past—yeah, that could also be the culprit. Blame the machines.
4. Try OTHER Apps if You’re Feeling Skeptical:
Clever Cleaner might be cool and all (I mean, @mikeappsreviewer really hyped it), but alternatives like Remo Duplicate Photos Remover or Photos Duplicate Cleaner work too. Just triple-check their reviews—sketchy apps aren’t worth the risk.
Bottom line? There’s not a one-size-fits-all method. Pick the route that vibes with your patience level. Got time? Use iOS’s built-in feature or clean manually. Want speed? Trust Clever Cleaner or another app. Either way, don’t forget to empty the “Recently Deleted” folder, or all your hard work’s for nothing. Good riddance to duplicate photos hogging your space!
Deleting duplicate photos on your iPhone can be straightforward, but let’s be real for a second—sometimes apps like Clever Cleaner are honestly just a shortcut people rave about because they don’t want to manually sort through their mess (understandable). But before rushing to another app recommendation, hear me out on a less app-dependent solution.
Start with iOS’s built-in tools. Apple did add the Duplicates feature in iOS 16. Go to Photos → Albums → Duplicates (near the bottom). It doesn’t catch similar photos but clears exact duplicates. Is it perfect? No. Is it free and already built into your phone? Heck yes.
Now, about those “similar photos” or tiny variations? Sure, apps like Clever Cleaner have their appeal—with that AI “magic” people love hyping up—but I’m still side-eying these apps. Why? They’ll sometimes delete photos I actually liked! (RIP to the candid shots that “weren’t perfect.”) So review EVERYTHING if you use an app. Trust issues, y’know?
Old-school tip: If your gallery is absolutely chaotic—like thousands of sunset duplicates chaotic—I’d suggest using your Mac or PC. Sync with iCloud, then sort the library via a desktop. Drag, highlight, and delete using actual screen space. Not as fast, but way more thorough.
Oh, and PSA: Be careful with any app siphoning through your photo library. Clever Cleaner claims no shady biz, but always read recent reviews before hitting download. Just keeping it real.