Visual lookup automatically recognizes what’s in your photos, such as animals, plants, artwork, buildings, books, sculptures, food, and even dishes. You don’t need to install any additional apps for this; everything works directly from the Photos app.
Visual Lookup has been available in other languages for some time, but since iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe you can also use it in Dutch. We explain how to use this handy feature on your iPhone, iPad or Mac.
Visual search in photos
Visual lookup automatically identifies the contents of your photos. The software recognizes animals, plants, works of art, buildings, books, sculptures, food and even dishes. You don’t need to install any additional apps for this functionality; everything works directly from the Photos app.
Using Visual Lookup
When you open a photo that contains a recognizable object, a will appear info symbol with an asterisk. This indicates that Visual lookup available for this image. By tapping the info symbol, your iPhone, iPad or Mac analyzes the image and immediately provides you with information about the recognized subject.
For example, with Visual Lookup you can read which breed of dog you photographed, which plant species you saw on holiday, or discover more about a work of art or building you captured. If there is food in the photo, you will receive suggestions for similar recipes.
Where can you find the info symbol?
- Open the Photos app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac
- Navigate to a photo with a recognizable subject, for example an animal or plant
- If necessary, tap on the screen so that the components are visible
On an iPhone you will find it at the bottom of the photo info symbol with an asterisk. On an iPad or Mac, the symbol is in the button bar. Tap or click the icon to open the information window.
It info symbol with an asterisk can display a specific symbol. For example, a paw print appears with animals, a leaf with plants and a picture frame with art as an additional visual cue to the information symbol.
More than just Photos
Visual lookup works not only in Photos, but also in Safari and Quick Look. View an image on a web page in Safari. Tap the info button with asterisks and select ‘Look up‘ to get details about the subject.
In addition, you can also use Visual Lookup in the quick view. You can activate this by long pressing on an image or file (e.g. in Files or Mail) for Quick Look. Tap the info icon with asterisks and choose ‘Visual Lookup’ for instant recognition without opening the app.