iPhone Guide

How to Reverse Image Search on iPhone

The quickest way to reverse image search on iPhone is Google Lens. Open the Google app, tap the Lens icon and pick a photo. Google shows matching images and the pages they appear on.

There are five more ways, and each is good at something different. Only one of them is built to match a person's face.

Searching for a person? Skip to face search

By the Facial Recognition TeamLast updated 27 September 2026Steps checked against Apple and Google help pages

In this guide

1.Which method to use
2.Google Lens in the Google app
3.Google image search in Safari or Chrome
4.Visual Look Up in Photos
5.Visual Intelligence for screenshots
6.TinEye, Bing and Yandex
7.Searching for a person by photo
8.What happens to your photo
9.iPhone reverse image search FAQ

Which iPhone Image Search Method to Use

Start with what you want to find out. The right tool depends on it more than on anything else.

What you want	Best method	Where to start
Find where a photo appears online	Google Lens	Google app, Safari or Chrome
Identify a plant, pet or landmark	Visual Look Up or Google Lens	Photos app
Search a screenshot	Visual Intelligence or Google Lens	Side button and volume up
Search a frame from a video	Visual Look Up	Pause the video
Find exact copies of one image	TinEye	tineye.com in Safari
Find a person from their face	Face search	The search box on this page

Way 1 of 6

How to Use Google Lens on iPhone

Lens is the one most people should try first. It searches Google's index, reads text in the photo and finds products and places. You need the free Google app from the App Store.

Search a Photo from Your Camera Roll

Open the Google app.
Tap the Google Lens icon in the search bar.
Tap Photo picker and choose the photo.
Scroll the panel at the bottom to see similar images and the pages they appear on.

Search with Your Camera

In the Google app, tap the Google Lens icon.
Point the camera at the object.
Tap Search.

Search Part of an Image

A busy photo confuses Lens. After you pick it, drag the corners of the box around the part you care about. In the Google app, you can also tap Add to your search. Type a few words, such as a colour or a brand.

One thing Lens will not do

Lens is not built to tell you who someone is. Google says Lens does not use biometric facial recognition, although it may show results for notable public figures. If your photo is of a person, skip to face search.

Way 2 of 6

Google Image Search on iPhone in Safari or Chrome

No Google app? You do not need it. The same search runs on google.com in either browser.

Reverse Image Search in Safari

Go to google.com in Safari.
Tap the Google Lens icon in the search bar.
Tap Photo picker and choose the photo.
Scroll the panel at the bottom to see similar images and the pages they appear on.

Reverse Image Search in Chrome

Chrome adds a shortcut for any image on a website.

Make sure Google is Chrome's default search engine.
Open the page with the image, then tap Google Lens on the left of the address bar.
Draw around, highlight or tap the image. Drag the corners to adjust.

Or touch and hold the image and tap Search image with Google Lens.

For a photo that is already on your phone, open a new tab, tap Google Lens in the search bar, then tap Photo picker.

Way 3 of 6

Visual Look Up on iPhone

This one is already on your phone, and most people never notice it. Apple built it into Photos to recognise landmarks, art, plants, pets, books and food. It works in Safari and on paused videos too.

Open a photo full screen, or pause a video on the frame you want.
Look at the Info button. If it shows stars, Visual Look Up found something.
Tap the starred Info button, then tap Look Up.

Apple notes that Visual Look Up is not available in every region or language. It tells you what is in the photo, not which pages it appears on. For that, go back to Google Lens.

Way 4 of 6

Visual Intelligence: Search a Screenshot on iPhone

Newer iPhones can search whatever is on the screen, straight from a screenshot. You need an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence, running iOS 26 or later. That means an iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 or later. Apple Intelligence is not available in every language or region.

Press the side button and volume up together to take a screenshot.
Tap Search to find similar items on the web.
To search one thing, swipe your finger over it to highlight it first.

You can also point the camera at something. Open Visual Intelligence with the Camera Control (on supported models), the Action button or Control Centre, then tap Search.

Way 5 of 6

Reverse Image Search on iPhone with TinEye, Bing or Yandex

Google's index is huge, but it is not the only one. When Lens comes back empty, a second engine often finds what it missed. All three work in Safari, with no app to install.

TinEye finds exact and edited copies of one image. It can sort them by Oldest, which shows the earliest copies TinEye found. That helps you trace a photo back towards where it first appeared. Open tineye.com and upload the photo.
Bing Visual Search is a free second opinion. On bing.com/images, tap the camera icon in the search box and choose the photo.
Yandex Images is a Russian search engine, so it can surface pages from Russian-language sites the others miss. On yandex.com/images, tap the image search icon in the search bar and upload the photo.

Our TinEye alternatives guide compares these engines in more depth.

Way 6 of 6

How to Search for a Person by Photo on iPhone

Here is the catch. Every method above can tell you what is in a photo. None of them is built to tell you who.

That is by design. Google says Lens does not use biometric facial recognition. Apple's list of what Visual Look Up recognises covers pets, plants and landmarks, not people. So when the photo is of a person, you usually get lookalikes and stock images rather than a name.

A face search works differently. It compares the face itself with more than a billion publicly indexed faces. You get up to 100 matches, each linked to the page where that face, or a similar one, was seen.

Search a Face from Your iPhone

Save the photo, or screenshot it. A photo taken from a dating profile works fine.
Pick a photo where one face is clear and well lit.
Upload it in the search box below, straight from your camera roll.
Open the pages behind your matches and check them yourself.

Search a face from your camera roll

Upload your photo

Your photo is never published or shared, and is deleted within 24 hours.

By searching you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.

It runs in Safari, so there is nothing to install. Searches need a subscription. Your photo is deleted within 24 hours and is never added to the index.

Treat every match as a lead, not proof. Unrelated people can look alike. Our guides on checking a dating profile photo and finding someone by face show what to do with a result.

What People Found with a Face Search

Found all their profiles

Uploaded one photo to the Facial Recognition app and found their Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Crazy how much it finds from just one picture.

Chris P. • United States

Better than reverse image search

Tried Google reverse image search first - nothing. The Facial Recognition app found 5 different social media profiles instantly. Totally worth the money.

Maria • Italy

Incredible technology

The Facial Recognition app actually works. Found someone's social media from an old, angled photo. Even I could barely recognize them in it but the app did.

James_T • Canada

Peace of mind

I use the Facial Recognition app to verify everyone I meet online now. Found out someone was using fake photos by searching all their pics. This app literally protects people.

Sarah M. • United States

What Happens to the Photo You Upload

Every search on this page uploads your photo somewhere. Here is what the three main ones say.

Google Lens handles the photo under Google's privacy policy. To limit what the Google app can see, open Settings, tap Apps, then Google, then Photos, and choose Limited access.
Visual Intelligence searches follow your search provider's terms and privacy policy, as Apple points out.
Facial Recognition deletes any photo you upload within 24 hours. It is never indexed, published or shared.

Search a Face from Your iPhone

Lens tells you what is in the photo. A face search shows where that face, or a similar one, appears online. Every match links to its page.

Start a face search

iPhone Reverse Image Search FAQ

Can you reverse image search on iPhone?

Yes. The quickest way is Google Lens in the Google app. Tap the Lens icon, tap Photo picker and choose a photo. Safari can do the same at google.com with nothing to install, and so can Chrome.

How do I reverse image search a photo from my camera roll?

Open the Google app and tap the Lens icon in the search bar. Tap Photo picker and choose the photo. To search one part of it, drag the corners of the box around that part.

Can you reverse image search a screenshot on iPhone?

Yes. Take the screenshot, then search it from your photos with Google Lens. On an iPhone with Apple Intelligence and iOS 26 or later, press the side button and volume up together, then tap Search.

How do I reverse image search in Safari?

Go to google.com in Safari and tap the Lens icon in the search bar. Tap Photo picker and choose the photo. Google then shows similar images and the pages they appear on.

Is reverse image search free on iPhone?

Yes. Google Lens, Visual Look Up, Visual Intelligence search, TinEye (for non-commercial use), Bing and Yandex cost nothing. Finding a person by their face is different: Facial Recognition needs a subscription to search.

Can I take a picture of something and find out what it is on my iPhone?

Yes. Open the Google app, tap the Lens icon, point the camera at it and tap Search. Or take a photo and use Visual Look Up in the Photos app to identify plants, pets and landmarks.

How do I find info about a photo on my iPhone?

Open the photo in Photos and tap the Info button. If the button shows stars, tap Look Up to see what Visual Look Up recognised. The same panel shows when the photo was taken.

Can you reverse image search a video on iPhone?

Yes, one frame at a time. Pause the video on the frame you want and use Visual Look Up. Or take a screenshot of that frame and search it with Google Lens.

Can I reverse image search a person on iPhone?

Not with the built-in tools. Google says Lens does not use biometric facial recognition, and Visual Look Up identifies things like pets and landmarks. A face search compares the face itself with public photos.

Is the Facial Recognition app available on iPhone?

Not for new downloads. The iPhone app was removed from the App Store in August 2026. New downloads are on Google Play for Android, and the face search runs in Safari on an iPhone with nothing to install. If you downloaded the app before, you can reinstall it from your purchase history with the same Apple Account.

Steps checked against Apple and Google help pages in September 2026. Menu names can change between iOS versions, so labels on your iPhone may differ slightly. Face search results are leads, not proof of identity. Do not use face search to harass anyone.