Frequently asked questions about iSIMILAR
Straight answers, including what the app can't do.
What is iSIMILAR?
iSIMILAR is a private search engine for similar images in your phone's gallery, on iPhone and Android. You pick a photo or take one with the camera, and it finds the ones that look like it. It runs entirely on the phone, without internet. From the results you can search again and, with PRO, move photos to an album, share them or delete them in bulk.
Do my photos leave my phone?
No. Your photos and their thumbnails never leave the phone, and the visual fingerprints iSIMILAR uses to compare them are computed and stored on the device. iSIMILAR has no servers of its own.
What data does the app collect?
Technical data on purchases, usage and errors, never photos or gallery content. Purchases are handled by RevenueCat and error reports by Firebase (Google). This data is linked to a pseudonymous identifier, not to your name, and it isn't used for advertising or to track you across other apps. Full details are in the Privacy Policy.
Does iSIMILAR show ads?
No. There are no ads in the app, in the free version or in PRO. iSIMILAR doesn't track you across other companies' apps or websites, doesn't collect your phone's advertising identifier (IDFA on iPhone, Advertising ID on Android) and doesn't sell your data. The app is funded by PRO purchases, not by advertising.
Does it work without internet?
Yes, from the first time you open it. Scanning, searching (from a photo or the camera), deleting photos and moving them to albums work offline, even in airplane mode. You need a connection to download the app and to buy or restore PRO. When you share photos, the app you send them with may need one.
Is iSIMILAR a duplicate photo cleaner?
No. For exact copies, your phone probably already has a free tool: on iPhone, Duplicates in the Photos app; on Android, the "Duplicate files" card in Files by Google, or the gallery app from some manufacturers. iSIMILAR does something different: it finds photos that look alike even when they aren't identical, like circuit boards from different repairs, products from the same shelf or screenshots with the same layout. With PRO, you can then move, share or delete them in bulk.
Can I search by text or words?
Not for now. You always search from an image: a photo from your gallery or one taken with the camera. You can't type "beach 2019", and you can't search by date, location or client. When you open a result you can see its date, but you can't search or filter by it.
Is it like Google Lens?
No. iSIMILAR doesn't identify objects by name, doesn't recognize faces or people and doesn't search the internet. It only compares your photo with the photos already on your phone.
How accurate is it?
It gets it right about 80% of the time. It works best with photos taken in similar conditions: same angle, same light, same background. Review the results before deleting.
Does it mix up different kinds of photos?
Sometimes. iSIMILAR compares how images look (shape, texture, color and composition), not what they show, so two different kinds of things can come up together if they look alike. The best-known case is documents and photos of phone screens (pictures taken of a phone's display, not screenshots): they get mixed up in about 1 in 5 cases. Review the results before deleting.
Can it find one specific photo?
Not reliably. It groups by visual similarity, by category: a photo of a circuit board returns circuit boards in general, not one specific client's board. It's a quick way to find and review, not a way to locate an exact photo.
Does it organize my photos automatically?
No. You always choose the base photo and confirm every action. Nothing is moved or deleted without your confirmation.
What's free and what's PRO?
Searching is free. Batch actions are PRO. Free: gallery scan, unlimited searches from your saved photos, 5 camera searches, and deleting, moving or sharing photos one at a time. PRO: unlimited camera searches and batch actions: deleting or moving hundreds of photos at once, or sharing several together. There are no free batch actions.
How much does PRO cost?
It's an annual subscription with a 7-day free trial. The exact price for your country is shown in the App Store or Google Play before you pay.
How does the free trial work?
You get 7 days of PRO. If you don't cancel before the trial ends, the annual subscription is charged. You can cancel in your App Store or Google Play subscription settings.
Do I need an account?
No. There's no sign-up, email or password.
How long does the first scan take?
On an iPhone 13 with 15,000 photos, 2.5 to 3 minutes. On a Xiaomi Mi A3 (a 2019 mid-range Android phone) with about 8,000 photos, around 4 to 5 minutes. The time depends on your phone and on how many photos you have. The scan runs once; after that, only new photos are processed.
How much space does it use?
About 3.8 KB per photo, around 38 MB for 10,000 photos. The app stores a small visual fingerprint of each photo, not copies.
Does it work on iPhone and Android?
Yes, on both. On iPhone you can also remove a photo from an album without deleting it and delete albums from the app.
Does it sync between devices?
No. Each phone keeps its own index; there's no sync or cloud backup.
Who is it for?
People who photograph the same kind of thing again and again: repair technicians and trades, people with galleries full of WhatsApp images, and anyone who keeps photographing products, clothes or receipts with the same layout.