Ammon News - Apple is widely regarded as a privacy leader, but recent findings about its Photos app have sparked concerns. Developer Jeff Johnson's blog post revealed that a feature called "Enhanced Visual Search" is enabled by default in iOS. This feature allows devices to share image-related information with Apple to identify landmarks. While potentially beneficial for travelers or photography enthusiasts, it has raised significant privacy issues regarding consent and data sharing. Many iPhone users may be unaware of the feature or its default activation.

What Is Enhanced Visual Search?

Enhanced Visual Search builds upon Apple’s Visual Look Up feature, first introduced in iOS 15. It enables users to identify landmarks in photos, such as well-known buildings or tourist attractions. For example, snapping a picture of a cathedral allows users to swipe up and choose "Look Up Landmark," prompting Apple to attempt identification. However, unlike the original Visual Look Up, this enhancement involves encrypted data sharing with Apple’s servers to compare the landmark against a global database.

How Does It Work?

Apple explains that the process begins with on-device machine learning (ML) analyzing the photo to detect regions of interest (ROI) that could contain a landmark. This information is converted into a “vector embedding,” a numerical representation of the ROI, which is then encrypted and sent to Apple’s servers for comparison. Despite the encryption and emphasis on privacy, the automatic activation of this feature without explicit user consent has drawn criticism.

How to Disable Enhanced Visual Search

If you prefer not to use this feature, you can disable it. On an iPhone, navigate to Settings > Apps > Photos and toggle off "Enhanced Visual Search." On a Mac, this option can be found in the Photos app settings.

Although the feature offers convenience, its default activation and lack of transparency underscore the need for Apple to communicate these changes more effectively.