Since you are here, you must have updated your iPhone to the latest iOS 16. There are many new features in iOS 16 to discover, and you may have already done so, such as the new lock screen customization and depth effect.
“Duplicates” is a new feature/functionality that shows all the duplicate photos in the Photos app. However, many iOS 16 users couldn’t find duplicate photos on their iPhone.
For the first instance, you may think that there is a bug in iOS 16. But that’s not the case. Since many users have been looking for an answer to why duplicate photos are not showing up in the Photos app, we have decided to make a proper “how to fix this issue” guide.
So, find how to fix iOS 16 duplicate photos not showing up.
What Is the “Duplicates” in the Photos?
iOS 16 came with lots of features, and one of the most advantageous is “Duplicates.”
When your iPhone’s photo library has identical photos or videos, a new album named “Duplicates” will be created in the Photos app. Here, you see multiple copies of the same photo saved on your iPhone.
You can delete or merge the duplicate photos with a single tap.
So, this is a convenient way to find all the duplicate photos and videos in your photo library. But why do the “duplicates” not show up in iOS 16?
Why Are Duplicate Photos Not Showing Up on My iPhone After Installing iOS 16?
It has happened in the past that Apple has restricted some features to some specific regions for an initial stage. However, this is not the case with iOS 16. Many users speculate that the reason behind duplicate photos not showing up is the region restriction, and that is not the reason.
The possible reasons for duplicates not showing up on your iOS 16 iPhone are as follows:
- It may happen that there are no duplicate photos or videos on your device.
- After you install the new iOS 16 update, it could take up to 24 hours for all of your photos to be indexed/scanned and for duplicates to be found.
- When photos are identical or the same but one has a filter and the other one is original, in such a case, duplicates may not show up.
Similar problems were reported by iOS 16 beta testers as well. Nonetheless, the issue was resolved with solutions.
How to Fix Duplicate Photos Not Showing Up in iOS 16?
Even if you have duplicate photos on your iPhone and still are unable to find a new album called “Duplicates” in the Photos app, there are some solutions, you can try them to fix the problem.
Fix 1: Wait for At Least 24 Hours
This is among the best solutions that have worked for most iOS 16 users.
After the installation of the latest update on your iPhone, the iPhone operating system 16 may take up to 24 hours to index all the photos and videos stored on your device.
Hence, if duplicates are found after the completion of the indexing, you may see the “Duplicates” option in the Photos app.
If you don’t see this option, you can restart your iPhone and check again.
Note: Media indexing is not a visible process, so it will happen in the background. All you have to do is wait for at least a day.
Fix 2: Create “Duplicates” Manually on Your iPhone
Even after trying the aforementioned solution, if the problem persists, you can try this method.
You will have to create multiple duplicate photos. Here’s how to create duplicate photos in iOS 16:
- Open a photo you would like to create a duplicate of.
- Tap the meatballs menu (horizontal three-dots menu) to open options.
- Tap “Duplicate,” and a duplicate copy will be saved.
- You can try this method to create as many copies as you like of every photo or video.
Now restart your iPhone and iOS 16 will scan for duplicates. After a few hours, you will see the “Duplicates” option within the Photos app.
Fix 3: Make Sure the “Duplicates” Don’t Have Filters
As stated in the above section, when there are multiple identical photos or videos in your photo library, but if all of them have different filters, the duplicates option may not appear.
It is also to make sure that the length of the duplicate videos is the same and neither of them is trimmed or cropped.
If you wish to delete duplicate photos or videos that have different filters or color editing, you will have to delete them manually. We hope Apple will bring a solution where we can find identical photos with different filters in the “Duplicates” album.
Fix 4: Charge Your iPhone and Wait
The process of scanning the duplicate photos in iOS 16 may get disturbed due to the low battery mode as well.
If you face a battery draining issue after the iOS 16 update, you can check iOS 16 battery draining issue solutions.
Thus, you have to plug in your iPhone and check the status bar in the Photos app to check the scanning report.
If you have a large number of photos on your device, this may take some time. So, just lock your phone and do the other work.
These are the solutions that will surely solve the issue of duplicate photos now showing up in your iPhone after installing the iOS 16. In addition to the aforementioned methods, you can try other solutions as well:
Fix 5. Change the Network
Fix 6. Reset Network Settings
Settings => General => Transfer or Reset iPhone => Reset => Reset Network Settings
Fix 7. Force Restart Your iPhone
FAQs
Duplicates Not Showing Up on My iPhone? Is It a Bug?
No, this is not a bug. Scanning and creating a “Duplicates” album in Photos is available on all the iOS 16 compatible iPhones.
If your device has duplicate photos in the library, the “duplicates” option will appear.
Why are iOS 16 Duplicate Photos Not Showing Up after Updating?
There are many reasons why duplicate photos are not showing up on your iPhone after updating to iOS 16. Here are the possible reasons:
- There are no duplicate photos.
- Duplicate photos or videos have different filters in each.
- You have a huge library; scanning may take time to show duplicates.
- There can also be a software bug, but it is a very rare occurrence.
How to Fix Duplicate Album/Photo Not Showing Up on iOS 16?
There are seven solutions to fix this problem:
- Wait for At Least 24 Hours
- Create “Duplicates” Manually on Your iPhone
- Make Sure the “Duplicates” Don’t Have Filters
- Charge Your iPhone and Wait
- Change the Network
- Reset Network Settings
- Force Restart Your iPhone