I noticed my camera roll is cluttered with duplicate pictures, and it’s taking up a lot of storage space. I would like to know the best way to get rid of these duplicate photos without manually searching for each one. Are there any tools or tricks I can use to clean this up efficiently?
Say Goodbye to Duplicate Photos on iPhone—Fast & Free!
Do you ever scroll through your photo gallery and feel like you’re caught in some endless loop of identical shots? Maybe those 10 almost-the-same selfies or blurry duplicates of a sunset you thought was the one. Happens to all of us! Fortunately, there’s a super-easy way to get rid of these memory hogs—no cost, no hassle. Let’s dive in.
Simplify with the Clever Cleaner App
Sure, iOS has the ability to delete duplicate images, but—brace yourself—the bulk of your clutter isn’t exact duplicates. It’s those terrifyingly similar photos that take up a ridiculous 95% of the problem. Reddit swears by an app called Clever Cleaner, and honestly? It changed my life. And, uh, it’s free. Can’t argue with that!
The Foolproof Steps to Declutter Your Phone
You didn’t come here for fluff—here’s the step-by-step cheat sheet to clear up serious storage space in minutes:
1. Download the App
Straightforward start: head over to the App Store and grab the app called Clever Cleaner. Trust me, the name is spot on.
2. Grant Access (It’s Safe, Promise)
Yes, the app needs to peek into your photo gallery to scan for those sneaky similar pictures. I was hesitant at first, too, but here’s the tea: nothing weird happened. Your pics stay private; they just get analyzed.
3. Scan Time!
The app goes into beast mode. Depending on whether you snap pictures like a casual tourist or a full-blown paparazzi, the scan can take about 2–6 minutes. Cue satisfying progress bar.
4. Review AI’s Work
Here’s the magic part: the app doesn’t delete at random. It groups your similar shots side-by-side and selects the best one in every bunch—no guesswork! You can check the recommendations to make sure your favorite shot doesn’t accidentally get chopped.
5. Time for “Smart Cleanup”
Once you’re happy with the app’s selection, just tap the “Smart Cleanup” button. Voilà! All the marked extras are now cleaned up from the app, and you just need to empty your Photos app trash bin to finalize the purge.
6. Bask in Your Storage Victory
Ready for the best part? You’ve just freed up a ton of space without doing any of the tedious manual sorting. For me, that was a whopping 11 GB of junk gone. 
Insert happy dance here.
Keeping it Different: Helpful Resources
Alright, if you wanna explore other angles or double-check some of the finer details, here are some cool resources worth a look:
- MacGasm: Four Ways to Delete Duplicate Photos on iPhone
- Reddit’s Data Recovery Help Thread—Tons of tips from the brainy side of Reddit.
- Apple’s Official Discussion on Duplicates & Similar Photos
- Reddit Discussion on the Clever Cleaner App
- InsanelyMac’s Guide: Finding and Removing Duplicate iPhone Photos
- YouTube Video Explainer—Because sometimes you just wanna watch how it’s done.
- Fixing “iPhone Storage Full” Without Spending a Dime
Ready to declutter and reclaim your storage? Whether your phone is drowning in dog photos or repetitive food pics, tools like Clever Cleaner make the process effortless. Your gallery will feel lighter, and your iPhone might even thank you. 
Go give it a try!
2 Likes
Lol, duplicate photos are the bane of our existence, right? You take one good shot, and somehow there’s 12 of them sitting in your gallery like they own the place. Anyway, while @mikeappsreviewer makes a good point about the Clever Cleaner app being a lifesaver (and it probably is for most), I’m gonna throw another angle at you.
If you really don’t wanna download another app just to clean up photos—because, let’s be honest, we’re all a little skeptical of giving access to our photos—you could use the built-in feature in iOS 16 (or later). Yup, Apple’s finally caught up. Just go to Photos > Albums and scroll down to find the Duplicates section (under Utilities). It identifies actual duplicates and lets you merge them. However, and here’s the kicker—it’s only for exact matches. Your slightly different sunset shots or those near-identical memes? Nope, still your responsibility to sort through.
If you’re a shutter-happy mess like me and don’t wanna spend hours analyzing picture-by-picture, that’s where the apps shine. Clever Cleaner, like Mike said, uses AI to tackle similar images, not just duplicates. But hey, if it makes you nervous to hand over access, you could try dumping all your photos onto a Mac/PC and use third-party software there (I used Gemini 2 on Mac once—it’s not free, though).
So yeah, choose your poison: Apple’s half-effort solution, a free automated app like Clever Cleaner, or a good old manual purge. Just don’t let all those 50 blurry concert pics eat your storage alive. 
So you’ve got the photo-clutter blues, huh? I feel ya—the curse of accidental shutter spamming and those 8 million versions of the same vacation pic. While the suggestions already dropped by @mikeappsreviewer and @himmelsjager are solid (especially that Clever Cleaner app—sounds sleek), lemme throw some alternative ideas your way.
First, if apps or the iOS duplicates feature make you roll your eyes (because yeah, built-in iOS only handles exact matches, which is like the bare minimum, thanks Apple), consider exporting your whole library to a PC/Mac. Once everything’s dumped there, programs like Adobe Lightroom or the free version of CCleaner can help you do the dirty work and spot duplicates/similar images. Downside? It takes longer, and if tech isn’t your thing, it might drive you nuts.
Or—and hear me out—take advantage of cloud storage options. Google Photos or Amazon Photos also have features to help you identify duplicates/similar images, depending on how you upload. Bonus: you’re freeing up your phone’s storage while, in theory, organizing your life. (Don’t ask me how often theory works out in my case, tho.)
Lastly, manual work isn’t always bad. If your library is embarrassingly bloated (read: 20,000 photos or more), investing a weekend to purge the nonsense might be weirdly therapeutic. Like digital spring cleaning. You can start by sorting photos via Apple’s date filter in Albums → Years/Days/Months and delete chunks at once based on events. Extra effort? Sure. But those apps and tools might misfire on something slightly precious, like that candid shot between staged duplicates.
Point is, there’s a way for every kind of person here: app-friendly (Clever Cleaner is probs your new BFF), built-in iOS basicness, desktop solutions, or go old-school and just Marie Kondo that mess one tap at a time. Choose your fighter. But seriously, don’t let mobile clutter steal your vibe—it’s exhausting.
Whoa, everyone’s got solid suggestions here, but let me shake it up a bit. While the Clever Cleaner app sounds like the hot pick for removing duplicates thanks to its AI magic (and yeah, it’s free, which is always a win), let’s talk about its potential drawbacks and some alternatives for comparison. Pros? It’s quick, intuitive, and handles near-duplicates, not just the carbon-copy ones. Cons? It may not fully satisfy control freaks who need manual curation or guarantee perfection in image selection. Plus, AI choices can sometimes overlook your personal preferences, which could sting if you lose that quirky “oops” shot you actually liked.
Now, @himmelsjager mentioned exporting your photos to a computer for tools like Lightroom or CCleaner. While that’s powerful, it’s also hella time-intensive if you’re not ready to deal with endless transfers or learning those software quirks. Great for pros, kind of a slog for the rest of us. @nachtschatten’s tip on cloud platforms like Google Photos is neat as a backup option, but let’s be real—uploading everything to the cloud can be slow, and storage plans rarely come free after a few gigs.
If you’re not app-savvy, iOS’s built-in duplicate finder exists, but… meh. It’s like a half-baked solution because it only catches exact matches (which we know ain’t the real problem). And yeah, manually combing through thousands of shots might sound meditative, but who’s got that kind of time?
TL;DR: Clever Cleaner might not be perfect, but if you want a fuss-free solution that works 80%+ of the time, it’s a solid choice. If you’re hardcore about accuracy, couple that with manual reviews or a desktop approach. Either way, just start deleting those duplicate sunsets and blurry cat pics already!