Does Enhanced Visual Search Send Photos to Apple?
No, Apple says Enhanced Visual Search works without sending your photos or videos to Apple. It sends an encrypted embedding, which is not image data. You can turn it off in Settings.
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What do I need to know?
- It is a Photos feature for landmarks. It powers Visual Look Up, and it starts in iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia.
- Apple says photos are not sent. The phone creates an embedding. Apple says this embedding, not image data, is encrypted.
- You can switch it off. Settings → Apps → Photos → Enhanced Visual Search.
What does Apple say it sends?
Apple's Enhanced Visual Search page says it "works without sending your photos or videos to Apple". Your iPhone creates an embedding, and Apple says "This embedding — not image data — is encrypted".
That wording covers what leaves the phone. It does not say the feature leaves no trace at all, so use the switch if you want none.
How do I turn it off?
- Open Settings.
- Tap Apps, then Photos.
- Turn off Enhanced Visual Search.
Photos still analyses your library on the device after you do this. Apple's Photos and privacy notice says Photos uses on-device machine learning for Memories and the People & Pets album. It also says "Apple does not access your photos or videos".
Does this change if I use iCloud Photos?
Apple's page on this feature does not link it to iCloud Photos, so we do not claim a link either way. Your iCloud library is a separate question. Standard iCloud data protection leaves Apple holding the keys to Photos, as Apple's iCloud encryption page explains.
What about photos in a vault app?
Photos analyses the library. A vault app keeps its files outside that library, so Photos does not read them.
What this doesn't protect against
Turning the feature off does not encrypt your library. Anyone who opens Photos on your unlocked phone still sees what is in it. A pattern shorter than a passphrase is weaker, so use 8 or more cells. If you lose the pattern and the recovery phrase, the vault is gone.
Do it with Cryptile
Cryptile stores the photos you choose as AES-256-GCM ciphertext, outside your Photos library. There is no account and no server, and the developer never holds your keys.