Photos search in iOS 18.1 actually works thanks to Apple Intelligence

It’s only a few weeks until the first Apple Intelligence features arrive in iOS 18.1. You can join a public beta to try them now. Otherwise, mid-to-late October is the expected release date. During my beta testing, I’ve discovered that perhaps the most overlooked Apple Intelligence feature is actually one of the best. What’s the feature? Search in the iOS 18.1 Photos app.

New iOS 18.1 Photos features coming soon

Apple’s big Photos redesign in iOS 18 is just the first part of the app’s transformation.

In iOS 18.1 on supported Apple Intelligence devices, the Photos app is getting three key new upgrades:

• a Clean Up feature to remove unwanted objects from photos
• Memory movie creation on command
• and finally, natural language search

The first two features have rightfully earned plenty of attention.

But the enhancements to search in Photos is the change that will likely make the biggest impact for users.

Natural language search actually works

I’ve been using Apple Intelligence since the first iOS 18.1 beta dropped in July.

During that time, I’ve been impressed by custom Memory movies, and found Clean Up a handy tool, but search is the feature that’s surprised me most.

Why?

Because it actually works now.

I should qualify that statement by saying your experience may differ. But in my use with the Photos app, and from talking with others on iOS 18.1, I think AI has finally fixed the search feature.

Before Apple Intelligence, I would limit my searches to very simple queries. Usually they consisted of single-object mentions, like ‘Cookie,’ ‘Bridge,’ or something similarly straightforward. The app did an okay job finding what I was looking for, but not great. Also, I could never type more complex searches because they wouldn’t find anything.

In iOS 18.1’s Photos app, I can get as detailed as possible with my query, and specificity actually gets better results.

Importantly, I can type a detailed request in natural language. There’s no need to filter results with multiple separate search parameters for location, people, etc. like before.

Finding photos with Apple Intelligence-powered search

The other day, my wife and I were reflecting back on some prior vacations at Walt Disney World. We recalled a time our newborn was having tummy time on a table at EPCOT, but couldn’t remember exactly when that happened.

I opened search inside Photos and typed ‘Theo lying on table at epcot.’

Immediately the app showed me two photos that matched the description perfectly.

I knew we had a similar photo from Hollywood Studios, so I deleted the last word and typed ‘Hollywood’ instead. Again, Photos found the right image with ease.

Is it perfect? Of course not. I’ve occasionally needed to revise the terms I use to find the right photos.

But Apple Intelligence nonetheless has provided a huge boost to search’s accuracy and usefulness.

iOS 18.1 Photos search wrap-up

The Photos app has been around for a very long time. But as the iPhone’s camera system has become more important, so too has search.

Search in Photos is such a basic feature, and not nearly as exciting or unique as other Apple Intelligence offerings. But it may just prove one of iOS 18.1’s most-used upgrades.

What’s your experience been like with natural language search in Photos? Let us know in the comments.