# Photos Search — Search text in photos

> Search text within photos using advanced text recognition technology. (iPhone/iPad app by Alco Blom.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photos-search/id1523063832 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Alco Blom](https://appshunter.io/developer/319069267)
- Category: Photo & Video
- Price: $17.99
- Rating: 4.20/5 from 5 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 13.0 · 2 MB
- Languages: American English, Dutch, French (France), German (Germany), Italian, European Spanish
- Released: 2020-07-26
- Data updated: 2026-08-22
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photos-search/id1523063832/reviews.md

## What is Photos Search?

Photos Search can search for text in your photos library. It uses Text Recognition software to find text in a photo. Spotlight is supported, so you can search directly from the Home Screen.

You can scan a selected time period (7 days, 30 days, 6 months etc.) or scan all your photos. Once a photo has been processed, you will not have to scan it again, so after a while you will have processed your complete photos library and it will be ready to be searched instantaneously.

Photos Search can extract the text from any photo and will allow you to copy the text. It will also detect links, phone numbers, calendar events etc.

You can create an album in Photos with your search results, so that you can also work with your found photos in the Photos app.

Photos Search integrates with Maps to show you the physical location where the photo has been taken.

You can also use Photos Search to scan an individual photo, a photo of a paper document or a screen shot.

Photos Search includes a Share Extension. With this extension you can extract text from any image or photo  in any app through the extension feature of iOS. 

Photos Search also includes a Photos Editing Extension. With this extension you can extract text from any photo in Photos through the extension feature of Photos. Just Edit a photo in Photos and call on the Photos Search extension to extract all the text from the photo.

You will also get the macOS version of this app with this purchase. The app is also available separately only for iOS under the name Photos Search Text and that version has a lower iOS price.

Most languages are supported : English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Russian.

New languages that are supported : Thai, Vietnamese and Arabic.

## Key features

- Search text in photos
- Extract and copy text
- Detect links and phone numbers
- Create albums from search results
- Integrates with Maps
- Share and Editing Extensions
- macOS version included

## Recent user reviews (1 of 1)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photos-search/id1523063832/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Exactly what I needed (updated for iOS 15)

*2021-10-15*

Yes, iOS 15 has text search built into Spotlight. But it pales in comparison to a dedicated search app. Photos Search is far faster to find the pics I want. I still recommend getting this app

Old review: 

Being able to search through 35,000 photos for a document or a meme is one of those features that you might not have thought about, but you absolutely need it. And Photos Search is stellar for it. I take maybe 50 screenshots a month of passages in articles and studies. I scan all important documents and contracts. I used to save them in various albums. Now, you can just search for them by keywords. Total workflow gamechanger. I bought the iOS/Mac bundle and I couldn’t be happier. The developer responds to emails quickly, fixed a couple of bugs I found in just a few days. And I’ve tried a bunch of competitor apps before Photos Search. None of them are as good as this one. Even if you just want to find funny memes that you saved by searching for “dog” or “cat,” you will be very happy to have this app to do it.

## Frequently asked questions about Photos Search

### What languages does Photos Search support?

Photos Search supports a wide range of languages including English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Arabic.

### How does Photos Search work?

Photos Search uses Text Recognition software to scan your photo library and identify text within images. Once processed, you can search for specific words or phrases instantaneously.

### Can I use Photos Search on my Mac?

Yes, the purchase of Photos Search includes the macOS version of the app, allowing you to search text in photos across your Apple devices.

### Does Photos Search have ads?

No, Photos Search does not contain advertisements. It is a paid application focused on providing a seamless user experience without interruptions.

### How much does Photos Search cost?

Photos Search is available for a one-time purchase price of $17.99. There is also a separate iOS-only version called Photos Search Text available at a lower price.

### What is the age rating for Photos Search?

Photos Search has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for users of all ages.

### How often is Photos Search updated?

The latest version of Photos Search is 3.4, and it was last updated on August 18, 2025. Updates typically include new features and improvements.

### Can Photos Search extract text from screenshots?

Yes, Photos Search can scan individual photos, including screenshots and photos of paper documents, to extract any visible text.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.4 — 2025-08-18

You can now edit the text that has been extracted from the photos. This means you can make small corrections and/or add keywords.

### 3.3 — 2025-05-21

When you search for a text and there are hits, Photos Search will now highlight the hits in the text window.

### 3.2.3 — 2025-03-10

There was an issue when you would use the left double quotation mark or the right double quotation mark in your search text. That will now be handled as if you entered the (simple) double quote (") character.

### 3.2.2 — 2025-03-07

There was an issue when you would use the left single quotation mark or the right single quotation mark in your search text. That will now be handled as if you entered the apostrophe (') character. That is because the image processing will always use the apostrophe character for these quotation marks.

### 3.2.1 — 2023-07-12

Fixed the app icon.

You can now limit your search results by adding words. Examples:

type Nixon+Kennedy to find a photo with text that contains both these presidents
type Nixon-Kennedy to find a photo with text that contains Nixon, but not Kennedy
type Nixon|Kennedy to find a photo with text that contains either Nixon or Kennedy

Secondly, you can also add a text (or tag) to photos which do not contain a text.

## Apps similar to Photos Search

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [GIPHY: The GIF Search Engine](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/giphy-the-gif-search-engine/id974748812) | 4.8 (710,917) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Photo Sherlock search by image](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photo-sherlock-search-by-image/id1270107821) | 4.7 (3,731) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Reverse Image Search App](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reverse-image-search-app/id6445823309) | 4.5 (344) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Search Photos](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/search-photos/id1523074996) | 5.0 (4) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Hyper Image Search](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hyper-image-search/id977003450) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [das Image Search and Explore](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/das-image-search-and-explore/id1464079804) | 4.7 (1,183) | Free | Photo & Video |

## More apps by Alco Blom

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All apps by Alco Blom: https://appshunter.io/developer/319069267

## Related topics

[photo search text](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/photo-search-text) · [picture search text](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/picture-search-text)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-22.*