New Photos App Search Suggestions in iOS 15

Apple introduced significant intelligence upgrades to the Photos app in iOS 15, expanding search suggestions to help users locate specific memories faster and with greater accuracy. This article covers the new options and filters added to Photos search suggestions, including text recognition, expanded object categories, Visual Look Up integration, and advanced multi-parameter queries.

Live Text Integration

One of the most notable additions is the integration of Live Text directly into search suggestions. The Photos app automatically scans images for readable text, meaning search suggestions now include words, store names, street signs, receipts, handwritten notes, and documents found inside your photos. Tapping a suggested text term instantly filters your library to images containing that specific wording.

Visual Look Up Categories

iOS 15 added Visual Look Up, which enriches search suggestions with recognized subjects across several distinct categories:

  • Pets and Animals: Suggestions now distinguish specific dog and cat breeds, as well as wildlife.
  • Landmarks: Famous natural and man-made landmarks appear directly as suggested search criteria.
  • Art and Statues: Recognized paintings, sculptures, and museum pieces are indexed and suggested.
  • Plants and Flowers: Flora classifications appear in suggestions to help sort garden and nature shots.

Combined Multi-Term Suggestions

Search suggestions in iOS 15 support compound queries directly from the prompt interface. Instead of searching for just a person or a place, the suggestions bar dynamically pairs entities together based on your library habits. Examples include:

  • A specific person paired with a location (e.g., "Emma in New York")
  • A person paired with a date or holiday (e.g., "David on Christmas")
  • An activity combined with a year (e.g., "Hiking in 2021")

Dedicated Document and Content Types

The search suggestions menu in iOS 15 features granular document and graphic types, allowing you to quickly isolate functional images from personal photography:

  • Whiteboards
  • Receipts
  • Handwritten notes
  • Illustrations and vector graphics
  • Screenshots (with suggested app names or contexts)

Spotlight Cross-System Suggestions

Search suggestions from the Photos app are fully unified with Spotlight in iOS 15. When searching from the Home Screen, Spotlight automatically suggests Photos-specific parameters—such as people, locations, scene descriptions, and recognized text—without requiring you to open the Photos app first.