Photos search function no longer working after IOS 17 upgrade

To be honest, the only way to resolve this issue was to back up everything to iCloud and erase the phone and start from scratch- factory settings.

There is a bug or glitch in that iOS update.

Apple support have this app-specific article online for iOS 17:

Search for photos on iPhone - Apple Support

Eg: says

"Tap Search,

then tap the search field at the top of the screen to search by any of the following:

• Date (month or year)

(& etc. etc.)

Also for more general searches: Search with Spotlight on iPhone - Apple Support

If this is not working for you in iOS17:

You might want to send feedback to Apple:

Online webform for feedback:

Feedback - Photos - Apple

I'm experiencing the same issues on my 14 Pro Max. Just reported to Apple using the link in this thread, and I strongly encourage all of you to do so, as well! Fingers crossed for a quick resolution!!!

Apple support have this app-specific article online for iOS 17:

Search for photos on iPhone - Apple Support

Eg: says

"Tap Search,

then tap the search field at the top of the screen to search by any of the following:

• Date (month or year)
• Place (city or state)
• Business names (museums, for example)
• Category (beach or sunset, for example)
• Events (sports games or concerts, for example)
• A person identified in your People album (see Find and identify people in Photos)
• Text (an email address or phone number, for example)
• Caption (see See photo and video information)

Tip: Looking for something more specific? Refine your search with multiple keywords—simply keep adding keywords until you find the right photo. Search also suggests keywords to add to your search.

Also for more general searches: Search with Spotlight on iPhone - Apple Support

If the above Apple search methods are not working for you in iOS17:

You might want to send feedback to Apple. Although they likely will not reply, and it won't help right away ... the more feedback there is on an issue, the more likely we will see it addressed in a future update:

Online webform for feedback:

Feedback - Photos - Apple

Hi clerkofcourts,

welcome to the Apple (user-to-user) Community!

Re: Can't search photos by location- I type the word and there are zero results.

Maybe Photos is / was still quietly indexing your photo's after the recent update ?

If your photos include embedded location information (GPS data).

1. Open the Photos app  on your iPhone.
2. Tap Albums, then tap Places.
3. Select Map or Grid view.

(Pinch the map to zoom in and out, or drag to see more locations.)

More info: Browse photos by location on iPhone - Apple Support

_______________________________________________________

Else: Try searching by month or year ... and you can add multiple key words too

Eg: September Jamaica

or 2020 Caifornia. etc.

Other iOS 17 articles have various search tips:

Search for photos on iPhone - Apple Support

Search with Spotlight on iPhone - Apple Support

If the methods Apple shares in its iOS 17 articles aren't working for you on your iPhone model, you may want to send some feedback to those who work behind-the-scenes at Apple. Although it won't help you right away, and Apple likely won't reply, your feedback may help contribute to changes in a future update.

Web-form for feedback to Apple:

Feedback - Photos - Apple

All the best :-)

Wondering if you had "named" the people Photos had identified before the update:

For iOS 17 : How to: Identify people and pets in Photos on iPhone - Apple Support

You might want to send feedback to Apple ... the more feedback they receive on an issue, the more likely it will be addressed in a future update.

Webform: Feedback - Photos - Apple

Thank you for letting us know :-)

If you want, you could send feedback to those who work behind-the-scenes:

The more feedback they receive on an issue, the more likely it will be addressed.

Webform: Feedback - Photos - Apple

Thank you JulzBGM. Wondering if you tried the multiple words with just month or year, as the article suggests.

Eg: September Jamaica

or 2020 Caifornia. etc.

or maybe you tried the "Browse photos by location"

1. Open the Photos app  on your iPhone.
2. Tap Albums, then tap Places.
3. Select Map or Grid view.
4. Only pictures and videos that have embedded location information (GPS data) are included.
5. Tip: Pinch the map to zoom in and out, or drag to see more locations.

My photos were working absolutely fine, as was the search function……until I just updated to 7.2.1! Now I seem to have the exact same problem with no search function. Sooo frustrating.

I see there are a lot of problems and no solution. Until we receive a solution from Apple, maybe we can share some simularities? For example I own an iPad mini an iPad pro and an iMac Pro, on those I see no problems and I can search whatever I want. Anybody else who wants to share?

I had the Exact same issue. Apple Genius team were helpful, but they didn't know how to resolve it. Last resort: backed up to icloud and Erased my phone to factory settings & everything is restored. There's a bug/glitch/issue when loading the ios update to phones. Hope this helps everyone. Back up to icloud and erase to factory settings then sign back in.

My phone just upgraded to 17.2.1 - not sure how as I had auto updates on . SO BUGGY! I can't remember the last time an update wasted so much of my time.

Can't search photos by location- I type the word and there are zero results. What's the solution @apple?

My Apple devices have the same issue. It was not a problem before to use the search function in photos to look for certain texts saved in screen shots. Now I have to go through all my photos if I want to look for a certain paragraph or word on photos that I’ve screenshoted.