How to Organize Photos by Person on iPhone

Your iPhone is already sorting your photos by person in the background. Open the Photos app, tap Collections, then People & Pets, and tap someone's face to see every photo and video they're in. Name the people who matter, favorite them, and clean up mistakes, and your camera roll suddenly has a folder for each of your people.

Here's how to set it up properly, plus how to make hand-picked albums when the automatic version isn't enough.

Where is the People album on iPhone?

It's called People & Pets and lives under Collections in the Photos app on iOS 18 and later. The location has moved over the years, so it depends on your iOS version:

According to Apple's iPhone User Guide, it's called "People" instead of "People & Pets" if no dogs or cats have been recognized in your library. Pet recognition arrived in iOS 17.

How do I name a person in Photos?

Name someone once and iPhone tags them across your whole library. You can do it from a single photo or from the People & Pets collection.

From a photo:

1. Open a photo of them and swipe up to see the details.
2. Faces appear in the bottom-left corner. Unnamed ones have a question mark.
3. Tap the face, then tap Edit Name and Photos.
4. Tap Name This Person (or Name This Pet), type their name, and confirm.

From People & Pets:

1. Go to Collections > People & Pets and tap the person.
2. Tap Name This Person and type their name. If they're in your contacts, tap their name under Results.
3. Confirm.

Don't see them? Scroll to the bottom of People & Pets and tap Add People to show more faces.

How do I put my favorite people at the top?

Mark them as favorites. In People & Pets, touch and hold their key photo, then tap Favorite. Your partner, best friend, mom, and grandpa now sit at the top instead of somewhere between a coworker and a stranger from a wedding.

You can also tap Sort and choose Sort by Name for alphabetical order, or Sort by Custom Order and drag faces wherever you want.

Change their cover photo: touch and hold their key photo, tap Edit Name and Photos, tap the photo icon on the current key photo, and pick a better one. Life's too short for a blurry thumbnail of your favorite person.

How do I fix photos of the wrong person?

Face recognition gets siblings, babies and lookalikes wrong sometimes. Apple's fixes:

• Wrong name on a whole person: in People & Pets, tap the person, tap the button at the top of the screen, tap the incorrect name, and enter the right one.
• One photo is wrong: open the photo, swipe up, tap the face in the bottom-left corner, tap This is Not [name], then rename it.
• Same person shows up twice: on iOS 17, Apple's steps are to tap Select, tap each instance of that person, then tap Merge. On newer versions the menus differ, so look for the same Select and Merge options.
• Someone you don't want to see: touch and hold their key photo and tap Hide [name] or Don't Feature [name].

Can iPhone group photos of me and my partner together?

Yes, on iOS 18 and later. Photos creates Groups for people and pets who often appear together, like you and your partner or your friend group. Find them in Collections > People & Pets under Groups.

To make your own: tap the button next to Groups, tap Create New Group, select the people, then tap Create. Apple's group photos guide covers renaming and editing groups too.

How do I search photos by person?

Tap the search button in Photos and type the person's name. Search also understands dates, places and categories like "beach," so try adding one to narrow things down. Search only finds people you've named, which is one more reason to name your people.

If your iPhone supports Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro or later), Apple says you can also search with a natural description, like "Maya skateboarding in a tie-dye shirt."

Should I make an album for each person?

Make one if you want a curated set, not every photo. People & Pets shows _every_ photo of someone, including the screenshot of them mid-sneeze. An album is where you keep the good ones.

To create an album:

1. Open Photos and tap Collections.
2. Tap Albums, then the + button.
3. Tap New Album, name it (like "Mom" or "Us"), add photos, and choose a key photo.
4. Tap Create.

A fast way to fill it: open their People & Pets collection, tap Select, pick your favorites, then add them to the album.

Want to fill it together? Turn it into a shared album. Open the album, tap the button at the top of the album, tap Create Shared Album, then invite them. Both of you can add photos from your own phones.

Tips to keep it organized

• Name your top 5 to 10 people first. Don't try to name everyone.
• Check People & Pets once a month for new unnamed faces of people who matter.
• Use iCloud Photos if you want names and collections on all your devices. Apple says People & Pets stays up to date across devices that use iCloud Photos.
• Favorite photos, too. Tap the heart on photos you love, then search a person's name to see their best shots fast.
• Turn favorites into stickers. A great photo of someone makes a great sticker. Here's how to make stickers from photos on iPhone.

A pocket for each of your people

An album per person is a great start, but photos are only half of someone. When Tucket launches, each person gets their own pocket: favorite pics of them sit right next to their voice notes and sounds, and you can turn favorite photos into stickers. If you're building a home for your family memories, it pairs well with saving voice messages before they disappear, and with our relationship keepsake ideas.