I just noticed a lot of duplicate photos on my iPhone and it’s taking up too much space. I’m not sure how to remove them efficiently. Is there a simple way to find and delete duplicates?
Free Up Space on Your iPhone by Deleting Duplicate Photos
Do you ever find yourself running out of storage on your iPhone? You’ve deleted all those apps you don’t use anymore, cleared the Safari history, and yet your phone still insists it’s full. Your Photos app is probably stuffed with duplicates and near-identical shots you’ve taken trying to get that perfect angle. Sound familiar?
Sure, iOS has a built-in way to delete duplicate photos for free, but let’s be honest—it’s only tackling a fraction of the problem. Around 95% of your similar photos might still be hanging on, taking up valuable space. Fortunately, there’s a great app that Reddit users have been raving about called Clever Cleaner, which helps you delete duplicates with ease. And the best part? It’s free.
Step-by-Step Guide: Erase Those Duplicate Photos
Here’s an easy breakdown on how to reclaim gigabytes of storage on your iPhone:
1. Grab Clever Cleaner from the App Store
You’ll first need to download Clever Cleaner, an app specifically designed for smart photo cleanup.
Don’t stress—this app has been tested and reviewed all over Reddit, and it’s a solid choice for safely analyzing your photos.
2. Give It Permission
Once installed, launch the app and grant full access to your photo library. Yep, you’ll need to let the app scan your images. Don’t worry though, it doesn’t mess with your files or spread them around. I gave it access, and everything was perfectly fine.
3. Let It Do Its Thing
Now, patience is key—it might take anywhere between 2 to 6 minutes, depending on how massive your gallery is. Got thousands of memes, blurry selfies, or screenshots of things you already forgot about? The app will dig through everything to find duplicates or similar photos.
4. Review The Results
Once the scan wraps up, you’ll get a neat, organized summary. Clever Cleaner groups similar photos together, identifies the sharpest, highest-quality shot from each set, and marks the rest as junk. Finally, you’re in control to keep or toss out what you want.
5. Finish the Cleanup
When you’re done reviewing, just hit ‘Smart Cleanup’ to delete the unwanted photos. Don’t forget to empty your trash folder in the Photos app afterward to finalize the cleanup!
And Just Like That…
Boom—storage problems solved! Personally, I freed up 11 GB worth of space in just a few minutes. Imagine being able to take vacation pics or save another episode of your favorite show without those pesky ‘Storage Almost Full’ alerts popping up.
No more manual searching or deleting—Clever Cleaner gets the job done.
Bonus Resources for More Tips
Whether you’re looking for alternative methods or want to dive deeper into managing your iPhone’s storage, these handy resources have you covered:
- 4 Ways to Delete Duplicate Photos on iPhone – MacGasm
- Reddit Thread on Deleting Duplicate Photos
- Apple’s Community Discussion about Duplicate Photos
- Redditors Discussing the Clever Cleaner App
- InsanelyMac Guide for Removing Duplicates
- YouTube Demo: Removing Duplicate Photos
- Fixing iPhone Storage Without Buying More Space – Reddit Help
Don’t let duplicate photos steal your storage anymore. Free up that space today and make room for what truly matters—whether that’s videos of your dog doing something goofy or all the memes you’ll be arguing about on Reddit next week!
3 Likes
Okay, seriously, does anyone actually enjoy scrolling through their photo library and manually deleting duplicates? It’s like playing “Spot the Difference” with blurry selfies and 37 identical sunset pics. Sure, @mikeappsreviewer suggested that Clever Cleaner app, and yeah, it seems solid for doing a bulk cleanup if you’re okay relinquishing control to an algorithm (and honestly, who has time for manual labor these days?)
But if you’re not into downloading extra apps, you can try iOS’s built-in tool. In iOS 16 and later, the Photos app has a “Duplicates” album automatically generated under the Albums tab. Go there, merge duplicates, and tada… except, it misses a lot. If your library is chaos like mine, this will barely scratch the surface.
Pro tip: If you don’t trust apps scanning your gallery, you can still go manual, but at least sort by date to make it slightly less painful. Scroll to the specific months when you know you were snapping like a maniac (vacations, holidays… or that one time your dog sneezed and it was ART) and start cleaning from there.
Or, you know what? Screw it. Just let the Clever Cleaner app do its thing unless you value your sanity over privacy. Don’t overthink it, hit delete, and free up that storage for the important stuff—like downloading more identical memes from Reddit.
Ugh, duplicates, the unofficial plague of all iPhone users! Let’s be real though—whether it’s ten blurry shots of your cat mid-yawn or five identical sunset photos that’ll never make it to Instagram, duplicates pile up faster than your unread emails.
Alright, here’s the deal: You have two solid routes, and it depends on how much time and trust you’re willing to invest.
-
Manual Method (for control freaks): If you’re rolling with iOS 16 or later, there’s a built-in “Duplicates” album in your Photos app (in the Albums tab, way down under ‘Utilities’). Go there, merge whatever duplicates it finds, and call it a day. But don’t get your hopes up—it’s like cleaning only the top of the iceberg. It’s quick but misses a ton, especially photos that are nearly identical but technically not. Manually sorting through your whole library feels like punishment, but hey, nothing’s stopping you.
-
Clever Cleaner App (for your sanity): Okay, so both @mikeappsreviewer and @boswandelaar hyped this app up, and tbh, it’s worth a shot. It’ll do all the scanning for you, group those duplicates, and even help you pick the best shots automatically. Saves you that endless scrolling grind. You download it, let it scan your library (takes a bit, but patience pays off), and you’re good. Plus, it’s free, so no excuses.
Still skeptical? Fine. If you’re not about handing off control to an app, you could just sit there scrolling your library, muttering why you took 18 consecutive photos of brunch pancakes (spoiler: they all look the same). But don’t expect a clean-looking phone gallery anytime soon.
Here’s some food for thought: iPhone storage is expensive real estate, so why let duplicates hog space meant for “memes of the month” or, ya know, actually important stuff? You choose.
Sure, deleting duplicate photos can be a pain, but here’s a different angle from what’s already been discussed. First off, let’s talk about iOS’s built-in “Duplicates” option. It’s decent, but I’d only recommend it if you have minimal duplicates or a lot of free time. It focuses solely on exact matches—and I mean exact, so near-identical photos? Yeah, those stick around. Great for quick fixes, but it’s no long-term solution.
Now onto apps. The Clever Cleaner app is definitely a solid mention, as others have pointed out. Pros? It’s light, scans fast, and its smart grouping feature nails multiple dupes in one swoop. Plus, it’s free, which is rare for apps like this. Cons? It requires access to your entire gallery. If you’re cautious about privacy, that might be a hesitation point (although so far, no red flags from users).
Sure, tools like Gemini Photos and Remo Duplicate Photos Remover work similarly, but Clever Cleaner stands out for being super user-friendly with no upfront cost. Also, fun fact: some Reddit reviews suggest Clever Cleaner is less aggressive than Gemini when auto-marking deletes, which might be good for keeping those “almost duplicate but actually meaningful” shots.
Here’s a counterpoint, though. Do we really need apps? What about just transferring photos to a laptop, running them through cleaner software like Adobe Bridge or even Google Photos, and syncing the trimmed library back to your iPhone? It’s manual, yep, but no app permissions needed.
TL;DR: Clever Cleaner is the easiest choice if you’re short on time or patience, but if you’re wary about permissions, external cleanups are still king. Take your pick!