How to Search for Pet Photos in iOS 12

Apple's iOS 12 makes it easy to find pictures of your furry companions through advanced computer vision and machine learning built directly into the Photos app. This guide explains how to quickly find photos of cats, dogs, and other animals using the updated Search tab, as well as how to narrow down your results using combined search queries.

Yes, you can search for photos of pets in iOS 12. The operating system utilizes on-device machine learning to automatically analyze and index your photo library for specific objects, scenes, and animals without compromising your privacy.

How to Search for Pets in the Photos App

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad running iOS 12.
2. Tap the Search tab located in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
3. Tap the search bar at the top of the interface.
4. Type a keyword such as "cat", "dog", "puppy", "kitten", or simply "pet".
5. Tap the matching category in the search suggestions to view all indexed photos matching that animal.

Refining Your Pet Searches

iOS 12 supports multi-keyword searches, allowing you to combine terms to locate specific moments. You can pair animal names with locations, dates, or other descriptive elements to narrow down large libraries:

• Pet and Location: Search "dog park" or "cat home" to find pets in specific environments.
• Pet and Date: Enter "dog 2018" or "cat December" to filter images by a particular timeframe.
• Pet and Activities: Search terms like "dog beach" or "cat sleeping" to quickly surface targeted actions.

All image recognition in iOS 12 occurs locally on your device rather than in the cloud, meaning your photo indexing happens automatically while your device is locked and connected to power.