How to Delete Similar Photos on iPhone
To delete similar photos on iPhone, you need more than the built-in Duplicates album, because it only finds exact copies. Similar photos are the near-identical ones: ten tries at the same selfie, a burst from the same second, the same sunset at slightly different exposure. To clear those, scan with an on-device AI cleaner that groups similar shots, review each group, keep the best one, and delete the rest.
Why "similar" is different from "duplicate"
A duplicate is the exact same file, byte for byte. A similar photo is a different file that looks almost the same. To your eye they are the same moment. To the Photos app they are completely different images, so the Duplicates album never groups them.
This matters because similar shots are where most of the waste hides. Nobody takes one photo of a moment they care about. They take five, or ten, or a full burst. Multiply that across years and it is gigabytes of near-identical frames.
Method 1: The Duplicates album (exact copies only)
Start here because it is free and built-in. Open Photos, scroll to Utilities, tap Duplicates, and merge what it finds. Just know it will only catch true copies and leave every similar shot behind.
Method 2: An on-device AI cleaner (for similar shots)
A dedicated cleaner uses on-device image analysis to group photos that look alike, even when the files differ. The good ones:
- Group near-identical and burst shots together so you can compare them side by side
- Let you keep the sharpest frame and delete the rest in one pass
- Process everything on-device, so your photos never leave your iPhone
Snapsift does exactly this. It scans on-device, groups similar and burst shots Apple's Duplicates skips, and lets you review each group before anything is deleted. The free plan covers 15 deletions a month, so you can clear a real backlog before deciding to pay.
The one step people forget
Deleting photos does not free space immediately. They sit in Recently Deleted for 30 days first. To actually reclaim the storage now, open Photos, go to Recently Deleted, and tap Delete All.
FAQ
Can iPhone find similar photos automatically?
Not on its own. The built-in Duplicates album finds exact copies only. To find similar-but-not-identical photos, such as burst shots and repeated angles, you need an AI photo cleaner that does on-device image grouping.
What is the difference between similar and duplicate photos?
A duplicate is the exact same file. A similar photo is a different file that looks almost the same, like two frames from the same burst. The Photos app only groups exact duplicates, which is why similar shots pile up untouched.
Will deleting similar photos free up storage?
Yes, once you also empty Recently Deleted. Until then the photos remain on your device for 30 days and still count against your storage.