iPhone Duplicates album not showing? Why it happens and what to do

Where the album should be

Open Photos, tap Collections, scroll down to Utilities and look for Duplicates. On iOS 16 and iOS 17 the Utilities section is at the bottom of the Albums tab. On iOS 15 and earlier the album does not exist: Apple added duplicate detection in iOS 16.

What to do when it is missing

1. Check your iOS version. Settings → General → About. You need iOS 16 or later.
2. See whether indexing is still running. In Photos, tap Library and scroll to the bottom. Apple says a status message appears there while your iPhone is indexing.
3. Lock it and plug it in. Apple says detection requires the iPhone to be locked and connected to power. Overnight is the easy way to give it that time.
4. Give it a few days. Apple says the process can be quick or take up to a few days, depending on background tasks and the size of your library.

Things people also try

Restarting the iPhone and turning off Low Power Mode while it charges are common suggestions. They are not on Apple’s page for this feature, so treat them as worth a try rather than a known fix.

The album is there, but my similar shots are not

Apple’s page does not say exactly what counts as a duplicate, so do not assume every near-identical photo will land in this album. For bursts and retakes, see how to delete similar photos and burst shots.

If you do not want to wait

Bytebye, the app we make, scans when you open it instead of waiting for the phone to be locked and charging. The scan is free and shows the full result. It uses its own matching, so its results can differ from Apple’s album in both directions. If the built-in album does what you need once it appears, you do not need an app.

Sources

• Apple: If you can’t find the Duplicates album

Related guides

• How to delete similar photos and burst shots on iPhone
• iPhone storage still full after deleting photos? Check these first