Level 1

29 points

Can you tag/label photos in iPhone/iOS?

I have been searching for an answer to this for ages but not found anything.

Essentially I want to 'tag/label' my photos within the iPhone iOS' default 'Photos' app so I can use the search function.

I can do this easily on my Macbook; select one or multiple photos, go to the Window/Info or bring up the photo(s) properties and under "Info", add one or more labels to the 'Keywords' area. Then, from any of my Apple devices, I can search my photos using any of those labels/tags i have created and added to my photos.

But i cannot do this labelling from the iPhone itself - only the Macbook through the Photos app. And I have not found an app in iOS which does this exact same labelling in the same way. Some apps mimic this functionality *only* within the app itself (ie: you need to use that app to search photos and doesn't work outside of the app). I want the tags/labels added to the photos in my Apple account so they are searchable across all my Apple devices.

So, does anyone know :

1) How I can do the same tagging/labelling on the iPhone the Macbook can do in Photos?

2) Any app which can do this functionality which applies to the Photos across all my Apple devices

(I have seen an Apple article from Oct 2013 which says how to do this on the old iPhoto app which is no longer applicable)

iPhone 6s Plus, iOS 9.1

Posted on Aug 4, 2016 2:28 AM

Top-ranking reply

Connor Hawke

Level 2

196 points

Posted on May 23, 2017 10:38 AM

A much-needed feature, can't believe this hasn't been implemented yet and all they have in its place is an automatic person tagging feature that doesn't really work.

I have just sent the following feedback to Apple, I urge you to all send a request for this feature at https://www.apple.com/feedback/photos-ios.html:

(quote)

The Photos app has one glaring flaw: a lack of a proper tagging feature. Yes, it does have a feature where it attempts to automatically detect and tag specific people, but (1) it's only used for tagging people, not other things, (2) it still requires significant manual intervention to add new and organise existing people/photos.

What is needed, and will be a game changer, is the ability to manually tag any photo from any album in the Photos app, with any word the user chooses, from people to places to things to ideas. Suddenly, thousands of photos will be organised neatly with a few taps, and what was like searching for a needle in a haystack before can now be tracked down in a few seconds. This improves on the current People tagging feature by offering much more control and versatility.

View in context

29 replies

Jun 1, 2017 6:56 PM in response to Connor Hawke

Absolutely agree. Tried to use your link, but it didn't work, so I found it here:

https://www.apple.com/feedback/photos-ios.html

I do hope they'll listen, because it's a glaring omission that could take the app a notch up toward great.

nikoolma

Level 1

4 points

Sep 17, 2017 1:05 PM in response to iSaWcH

Indeed nowadays mobile photos is such an extension of our daily memories I am surprised that this desktop only "tagging" feature has still not been extended to iPhone yet.

Onut

Level 1

4 points

Apr 21, 2017 12:15 PM in response to Vanripsm

Actually this is not a solution, or it is a solution but not to this problem; the idea is to be able to add a searchable word (a tag) to each photo, not to organize all the photos into directories. The directory is such a '90 paradigm, Apple shouldn't even mention it, in 2017!

Jpstamp

Level 1

15 points

Jun 28, 2017 3:03 PM in response to Vanripsm

Rather than leaving them as photos, use Evernote

's scannable and Evernote, or alternatively Microsoft's OneNote. Either if these does OCR on the text in the picture (saved as a note) and can then be searched. Results sometimes depend on image quality. I save my recipes in (free) Evernote which is then also available on my computer. Searches done on my iphone find text in Evernote pictures in notes!

AlbertLL

Level 1

4 points

Jul 9, 2017 10:17 AM in response to iSaWcH

I used Google Photos as backup solution, once all photos synced, it allows you to edit DESCRIPTION in app, but no KEYWORD available. Sync works in real time.
If Apple could implement the EDIT on iPhone Photos, I would like stay with Photos, as the search functionality works much better on Mac photos.

MamaO

Level 1

15 points

Aug 2, 2017 2:47 AM in response to David Dodge

I've been experimenting with FatCat software's PowerPhotos (NAYY). There's much it lets you do that Photos can't, and some of that has helped with photo organization on my phone, but they, too, have no iOS option so no ability to organize on the fly. Still searching...

Nov 16, 2017 3:00 AM in response to rob4732

hi rob,

yea you're right - its not facilitating this. The reason is on apple's site, its unfortunately not possible to save the tags as a part of the pics. It would be only possible on duplicating photo (and on this progress adding tags on it)...not really userfriendly...

Onut

Level 1

4 points

Jun 28, 2017 3:37 PM in response to Jpstamp

You cannot do that to 5-6k photos...

iOS 11 with its Files app seems to be able to add searchable tags to iOS files, but, alas, no acces to photos from Files

Scheeja

Level 1

4 points

Jul 5, 2017 2:57 PM in response to iSaWcH

If you use iCloud photo library, and use photos on your Mac to tag photos (right click, get info, I believe) then you can search them from your iOS devices

mknapp

Level 1

4 points

Nov 1, 2017 11:53 PM in response to iSaWcH

i want to apply the files app tags to my icloud fotos but they do not show in the files app

Nov 15, 2017 5:19 AM in response to iSaWcH

Yes you can, with the pictagger app: bit.ly/pictagger

mknapp

Level 1

4 points

Nov 15, 2017 5:25 AM in response to iSaWcH

wow. cool. great. already testing it. thank you!!!

rob4732

Level 1

16 points

Nov 15, 2017 8:32 AM in response to mknapp

The key to attaching text to a pic is that a search in IPhoto’s will find that text. Not sure if pictagger facilitates this.

Thx

Nov 26, 2017 10:21 AM in response to ElizaJo2017

i am using the app pictagger. maybe that can help you.

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Can you tag/label photos in iPhone/iOS?