Stop Your IPhone From Sharing Photo Data With Apple
When you think about data privacy on iPhone, the main focus is usually on ad tracking companies and other third parties that may be siphoning off your personal information without your knowledge. Unfortunately, it’s time to pay attention to the data that Apple itself collects. While Apple continually reiterates its commitment to privacy, the company doesn’t always deliver on its promises . In a recent development , independent app developer Jeff Johnson noticed that a photo feature called Enhanced Visual Search is enabled by default and feeds photo data to Apple in the background.
What is Advanced Visual Search?
With iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1, Apple introduced enhanced visual search that lets you “privately match places in your photos with a global index powered by Apple.” This allows you to use search in the Photos app to find landmarks and points of interest, making it easier to find specific images , Apple says. This feature is similar to Visual Look Up , which allows you to identify plants and animals using your iPhone.
Advanced Visual Search is definitely useful, but turning it on by default is a concern. Even though Apple says its implementation privately matches your photos against its database, I’d rather agree before my data is submitted.
How to disable advanced visual search on iPhone, Mac
If you, like me, don’t like this new feature, you can easily disable it. On iPhone, go to Settings > Apps > Photos and scroll down. You can turn off advanced visual search here. On a Mac, open the Photos app and click the Photos button in the menu bar at the top. Go to Settings > General to turn off advanced visual search .
By the way, iOS 18 also lets you automatically remove location data from photos when you share them with others, which will help further protect your privacy.