The Proven Face Search App
Sherlock AI Face Search Alternative
Sherlock: AI Face Search was removed from the App Store in July 2026. Facial Recognition has done the same AI face search since early 2024: upload a photo, search over 1 billion faces, and find the social profiles behind them.
Why Switch from Sherlock: AI Face Search
Same kind of search, with a record you can verify.
A Proven Track Record
Sherlock: AI Face Search launched in January 2026 and was removed from the App Store in July 2026. Facial Recognition has been finding faces since early 2024, with a 4.4-star rating from over 2,500 reviews. When you upload a photo of someone, you want an app that has already done this millions of times.
1 Billion+ Faces
Every face search runs against an index of more than 1 billion faces gathered from public pages across the web. You are searching a real, measurable database, not trusting an unverified claim about what powers the results.
Built for Social Media Results
Generic similar-face results are not the goal. Our facial recognition search is tuned to find the profiles behind a face: find an Instagram account by photo, locate TikTok creators, and uncover Facebook, X, and LinkedIn profiles.
Private by Design
Your uploaded photos are processed and deleted, never stored or shared. The person you search for is never notified. Search histories stay on your device, not on our servers.
What Happened to Sherlock: AI Face Search?
Search the App Store for Sherlock: AI Face Search today and you will not find it. The app launched in January 2026 and disappeared in July 2026 - and we are in a position to explain why, because we build Facial Recognition, the app it copied.
When we compared Sherlock side by side with our own app, the overlap went far beyond a shared idea. Its App Store description, screenshot text, and in-app screens were reproduced from Facial Recognition - the pattern of an AI-generated clone, assembled quickly and barely disguised. We documented the copying with side-by-side evidence and filed a formal complaint through Apple's process for reporting infringing apps. Apple reviewed it, and in July 2026 Sherlock was removed from the App Store worldwide, taking its ratings and ranking with it.
There is a broader lesson in it: AI tools have made surface polish cheap, so polish no longer signals trustworthiness. A rating built over years, a developer name that stays the same, and a face database you can verify cannot be generated in a weekend - and none of it vanishes when a clone gets taken down.
The Timeline
Early 2024
Facial Recognition launches on the App Store and Google Play, offering AI face search against an index of more than 1 billion faces.
January 2026
Sherlock: AI Face Search appears on the App Store with the same kind of face search offer.
June 2026
A side-by-side comparison shows substantial parts of Sherlock - store description, screenshot text, in-app screens - were copied from Facial Recognition. We document it and file a formal complaint through Apple's process for reporting infringing apps.
July 2026
Apple removes Sherlock: AI Face Search from the App Store worldwide. Its listing now returns a “page not found” error.
If You Used Sherlock, Three Things to Know
The app is frozen on your device
If Sherlock is still installed, it stays on your phone but receives no further updates or fixes. If its servers ever go offline, searches stop working for good.
Subscriptions do not cancel themselves
An App Store removal does not end an active subscription. Open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, and cancel it there. Refunds for recent charges can be requested at reportaproblem.apple.com.
You cannot download it again
The listing is gone, so the app cannot be found or reinstalled from the App Store. If you still need face search, the comparison on this page shows what Facial Recognition offers instead.
Watch Out for Lookalike Listings
The Sherlock name has not entirely vanished, which is where confusion starts. A separately developed app with a nearly identical name remains on the App Store, and a "Sherlock: AI Face Search" listing from yet another developer is still live on Google Play. None of these is the removed app, and none is related to us - sharing a name is not the same as sharing a developer, a face database, or a privacy policy.
Whatever you install, you are uploading photos of faces to it, so spend thirty seconds on diligence: check the developer name, how long the app has existed, and what its reviews say over time. Our guide to the best face recognition apps covers exactly what to look for.
Sherlock AI Face Search vs Our App
A side-by-side look at the differences.
Sherlock: AI Face Search
Facial Recognition
✕ Launched January 2026, removed from the App Store July 2026
✓ Trusted since early 2024
✕ Different developers on iOS and Google Play
✓ One developer, the same app on both platforms
✕ Unverified face database claims
✓ 1 billion+ faces
✕ No product website, store listings only
✓ Full website with search guides and support
Search Social Media Platforms
Find profiles across all major networks.
TikTok
Twitter/X
YouTube
How it works
Top matches
Up to 100 per search
In a real search, each match opens the page it was found on.
An example search. What comes back depends on the photo and what is publicly indexed.
Try the Proven Face Search App
Use the OG face search app – Download Facial Recognition and find anyone from a photo.
Trusted by Users
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to Sherlock: AI Face Search?
Sherlock: AI Face Search was removed from the Apple App Store in July 2026, following a formal complaint we filed with Apple after finding that the app was an AI clone of Facial Recognition. Its listing no longer exists and it can no longer be downloaded. The full story is covered in the timeline on this page.
Is Sherlock: AI Face Search coming back to the App Store?
No. The removal followed a reviewed infringement complaint, not a temporary glitch. Be careful not to confuse it with similarly named apps from other developers - those are separate products, not the app that was removed.
I subscribed to Sherlock. Will it keep charging me?
It can. An App Store removal does not cancel existing subscriptions. On your iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, and cancel Sherlock there. For a recent charge you believe was unfair, you can request a refund at reportaproblem.apple.com.
Is Facial Recognition a good alternative to Sherlock AI Face Search?
Yes. Facial Recognition does the same job, searching the web and social media for a face from a photo, but with a longer track record. It has been on the App Store and Google Play since early 2024, holds a 4.4-star rating from over 2,500 reviews, and searches more than 1 billion indexed faces.
Is the Sherlock face search app the same as Facial Recognition?
No. Sherlock: AI Face Search is a separate app that launched in January 2026. Facial Recognition is an independent app that has offered AI face search since early 2024. If you found Sherlock first, you should know you won't receive any updates and your subscription may stop working at any time. We advise you to cancel and use our app instead.
Are the iOS and Android versions of Sherlock AI Face Search the same app?
No. The Sherlock: AI Face Search listings on the App Store and on Google Play were published by different, unrelated developers that happen to share the name. The iOS app was removed from the App Store in July 2026, while the Google Play app remains a separate product from a different developer. Facial Recognition is the same app from the same developer on both platforms.
How is Facial Recognition different from the Sherlock app?
Three main things: track record, database transparency, and focus. Facial Recognition has two years of reviews behind it, has over 1 billion faces in its database, and is tuned for finding social media profiles rather than generic similar-face matches.
Does this Sherlock alternative work on iPhone and Android?
Yes. Facial Recognition is a native app on both the Apple App Store and Google Play, and the experience is the same on both platforms.
Is the alternative free to try?
The app is free to download. Face searches require a subscription, with optional credit top-ups for heavier use. Billing runs through standard App Store and Google Play payments, so there is nothing unusual to set up.
Why are so many copycat face search apps appearing?
AI development tools have made it cheap to reproduce an existing app's screens, listing, and marketing, so every successful category now attracts lookalikes - face search included. The rules have not changed: copying still violates App Store guidelines and IP law, as Sherlock's removal shows. When choosing an app you will upload faces to, weigh track record over polish.