How to remove duplicate photos on iPhone for free?

Best Iphone Cleaner Apps
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I’m running out of storage on my iPhone due to duplicate photos. I want to clean them up but without spending money on any apps. What’s the best way to find and delete duplicate pictures for free?

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Got Duplicate Photos on Your iPhone? Here’s an Easy Way to Clean Them Up for Free!

If your photo library has become a jungle of duplicate and similar snapshots, worry not—you can tame this chaos without breaking a sweat (or your wallet). While iOS already provides a tool to hunt down exact duplicates, most of the clutter in your photo gallery comes from those almost identical pictures—think 18 angles of your cat sleeping. Don’t worry though, Reddit users swear by an app that can handle all that efficiently: Clever Cleaner. It’s totally free, and yes, it’s made life a lot easier for many of us who hoard pixels by the gigabyte.

Here’s Your Step-by-Step Guide to Declutter Your iPhone Photo Library

Step 1: Download the Life-Saver App

To get started, simply install Clever Cleaner from the App Store—it’s free! Here’s the link to grab it immediately:
Get Clever Cleaner for Free.

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Step 2: Grant Photo Access

Now don’t panic—this step is necessary for the app to do its thing. When prompted, give Clever Cleaner full access to your photo library. Don’t worry, I tried it myself, and nothing sketchy happened. The app needs this to analyze your library using its AI magic.

Granting Photo Access
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Step 3: Let the Magic Happen

Depending on how deep your gallery rabbit hole goes, the scan might take anywhere from 2 to 6 minutes. So go grab a coffee or scroll through your favorite Reddit threads while Clever Cleaner does the heavy lifting for you. When it’s done, it’ll organize your photos by grouping similar ones together.

Step 4: Review & Choose the Best Shots

The app doesn’t just delete willy-nilly. It carefully keeps the best version of similar photos and flags the others for cleanup—so you remain in control. Take a moment to review the results to ensure nothing precious is on the chopping block.

Step 5: Hit ‘Smart Cleanup’

Happy with the selection? Tap that prominent Smart Cleanup button to let the app sweep away the unnecessary junk. Afterward, don’t forget to empty the trash in the Photos app to officially reclaim your precious storage.

Cleanup Process
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And voilà! You’ve officially gotten rid of all the clutter. I personally freed up 11 GB of space—imagine what you can do with that extra room :partying_face:.

Additional Resources to Maximize Your Cleanup Game :dart:

Here are a handful of useful links to dive even deeper into managing duplicate and similar photos:

So, why wait? Start decluttering today and turn your messy camera roll into a streamlined archive with just a few taps. You’ll thank yourself the next time you’re looking for that perfect photo and don’t have to scroll through two dozen random shots of last week’s pancakes. :plate_with_cutlery:

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Okay, I hear you – your iPhone’s storage is practically gasping for air, and you need to ditch those duplicate photos. While @mikeappsreviewer has recommended the Clever Cleaner app (which, yeah, seems legit and useful), if you’re really bent on NOT using apps at all, let me hit you with a manual method. Though, fair warning, it’s going to cost you in terms of time instead of money.

Option 1: The Manual Scroll of Doom

  1. Open your Photos app.
  2. Go to the “Albums” tab, then scroll down to the “Utilities” section, and tap “Duplicates.” (Thank you, iOS 16+ for adding this feature.)
  3. Here, you’ll see some exact duplicates listed. Just tap “Merge” on each one. This combines them and deletes the extras. Easy, but only catches exact matches.

But wait… what if you have those near duplicates? Like 10 identical pics of coffee cups?

Option 2: Scroll through and delete manually
This is grunt work, but it can be satisfying in a Marie Kondo kind of way.

  • Open the Photos app.
  • Go through your recent shots or specific albums.
  • As soon as you notice obvious duplicates or similar pictures, long-press on them and hit the trash can.
    Yes, it’s tedious. Yes, it works. If you’ve got hours to kill and a playlist handy, why not?

Now, here’s where I low-key agree with @mikeappsreviewer on Clever Cleaner: this app could save you from gouging your eyes out sorting through similar photos one by painful one. Sure, you probably came here hoping for NO app solution, but real talk, sometimes your time is worth more than your principles. Clever Cleaner’s AI supposedly catches those almost the same but slightly off images (you know, where only your facial expression changed). And it’s free. Just putting it out there.

But hey, if apps aren’t your vibe and you’re running iOS 16 or later, the new Duplicates folder in Photos might already be all you need for exact copies. Anything older than iOS 15? Forget it—Apple didn’t care about your messy camera roll back then.

One last option: Use your computer. Sync your photos to your Mac or PC and rely on desktop apps or manual sorting, where you can eyeball everything on a bigger screen. If you happen to own a Mac, Photos on macOS has a better UI for spotting duplicates. Again, not quick, but doable.

TL;DR: If precise duplicates are the issue, iOS has some native tools, but for those similar “why do I have three sunsets” shots, either embrace the tedium or grab an app like Clever Cleaner that handles it fast. Your call, but good luck reclaiming your gigabytes. Or, you know, consider getting a bigger iPhone next time…

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Ugh, duplicate photos. They’re like cockroaches—multiplying in your phone with zero remorse. Anyway, if you want a free solution, there are some options, but fair warning: nothing is truly effortless unless you cheat a little with tech. Here, let me break this down for ya.

Manual Method (Patience Not Included):
If you’re cool with spending an entire afternoon staring at your phone, open the Photos app, scroll to the “Albums” tab, and find the “Utilities” section—it should have a “Duplicates” album if you’re on iOS 16 or newer. Tap on it, and you can merge exact replicas one by one. BUT, it only deals with true duplicates, not your 57 slightly different selfies.

For all those near-identical photos (you know, where your cat moved 0.001 inches in each frame), you’ll need your eyes and a lot of coffee. Just swipe, spot, and delete. OR, sync everything to your computer, where it’s easier to batch-delete. Either way, it’s a time vacuum.

Auto Cleanup with an App (Don’t Roll Your Eyes Yet):
Okay, listen, @mikeappsreviewer already hyped up Clever Cleaner, and honestly? It kinda slaps for what it does. I get it—you don’t want apps, but here’s the thing: this app is FREE and uses AI to tackle both duplicates and near-duplicates. Like, it figures out that one out of 12 similar beach photos is possibly worth keeping. Saves you the headache of deciding which ones to trash. If you value your time even a little, this tool might be the move.

The ‘I Have Trust Issues with Apps’ Path:
So you’re not downloading an app, not scrolling manually for hours, and refuse to sync to a computer. What now? Honestly, the only card left is lowering your photo-taking compulsions. Do you need 20 shots of the same plate of food? Maybe keep one and delete the rest as you take them next time. Yes, I just turned into your mom for a sec. Deal with it.

Hot Take: @nachtschatten’s idea of manual cleanup is valid if you’re passionate about doing things the hard way, and yeah, Apple’s Duplicates album is helpful but limited. But Clever Cleaner kinda bridges the gap—they said it’s free, so what’s the problem? Whether your concern is trust or pride, decide which costs more—your time or resistance to apps.

In a nutshell: iOS tools only help so much, manual cleanup = pain, apps like Clever Cleaner save your Saturday, and syncing to a computer is another valid but clunky approach. Pick your poison.