How to Delete Similar Photos on iPhone

By Eugene Grunin, developer of SwipellioUpdated October 17, 2026

Several pictures of the same pose are not necessarily copies. Start by choosing what to keep. You can compare the shots in Photos or use an app that brings similar pictures together for review.

Similar shots and identical files are different problems

Photos of the same moment can differ in expression, sharpness and framing. Swipellio’s Similars groups near-identical shots; it does not promise to find byte-identical files. For duplicates detected by Apple, check the Duplicates collection in Photos. Finding few duplicate sets does not tell you how many retakes you have.

Compare a series manually in Photos

Open a day or event in your photo library and work through one series at a time.
Open the pictures and zoom in on eyes, focus and framing. Keep more than one when the shots tell different stories.
Use Select to mark only the unwanted pictures. Before deleting, check that your favourite is outside the selection.

Review a pack with Similars

Similars brings near-identical shots together. Autoselect can suggest what to keep based on open eyes, expression, sharpness, exposure and framing. You see its choices before anything moves, so check that your own favourites are kept. A pack does not have to end with exactly one surviving image.

Check before deleting

A left swipe only moves the photo into the in-app Trash Bin. You can restore it until you empty the Bin; a double tap undoes the last swipe. After deleting from your library, check Recently Deleted in Photos too. Permanently deleting from there cannot be undone.

With iCloud Photos enabled, deleting also syncs to other devices on the same account. Keep a separate copy of important memories before permanently removing them.

Apple’s guide to deleting and recovering photos