Spotlight is a feature on the iPhone that allows you to see photos that have been taken with the phone. If you disable Spotlight Photos on your iPhone, you will not be able to see these photos in any of your apps or in the Photos app on your computer.
By default, your iPhone will display photo suggestions with thumbnails in Spotlight Search results on iOS 15 or higher. It can be handy, but it also can potentially clutter up the search results. Here’s how to disable or hide the photo thumbnails.
The Problem
On the home screen, if you swipe downward with one finger to perform a search and type in a query, you’ll see potential matches pulled from your iPhone’s photo library displayed as thumbnails in the results.
Your iPhone uses its AI photo recognition algorithms to match the words you type with photos in your library. It’s an impressive feature, but it’s not for everyone. Luckily, it’s easy to disable.
RELATED: How to Search Your Photos for Specific Objects in iOS 10
How to Fix It
First, open Settings by tapping the gear icon.
In Settings, scroll down and select “Photos.”
In Photos, tap “Siri & Search.”
In Siri & Search, tap the switch beside “Show Content in Search” to turn it off.
After that, exit Settings. The next time you do a Spotlight Search, you will no longer see photo thumbnails in the search results. Happy searching!
RELATED: How to Use Spotlight Search on Your iPhone or iPad
