A newly introduced feature by Apple significantly enhances visual search capabilities but also brings up privacy issues, according to developer Jeff Johnson.
With the release of iOS 18 and macOS 15, Apple rolled out Enhanced Visual Search (EVS) in the Photos app. This innovation builds on their existing Visual Look Up (VLU) feature, enabling devices to recognize landmarks and notable locations within images. As a result, users can provide prompts such as “Show me photos from the beach” or “Show me pictures of sunsets,” making the visual search experience even more user-friendly.
Introduced with iOS 15, VLU requires the transmission of “limited” data to Apple servers. Johnson discovered two documents related to EVS that indicate the new feature may necessitate sending even more information to Apple than its predecessor.
On this issue, Johnson expresses dissatisfaction, stating, “Naturally, this user has not consented to enhance my on-device experiences by contacting Cupertino [Apple’s headquarters in California]. This decision was made silently by Apple without my approval.”
Johnson also notes that the details about the new feature and its data requirements have not received much attention from tech media. Furthermore, he claims that Apple has largely overlooked this topic in its communications.
This assertion seems unfounded as several discussions have emerged regarding the new features of the Photos app in iOS 18, including the updated search capabilities. For instance, Digital Trends highlighted this in their iOS 18 overview, and some writers voiced critiques about specific changes made to the Photos app in this update.
In contrast to Johnson’s claim, Apple does address EVS in two online documents regarding privacy. One is a user-facing “Photos & Privacy” document, while the other is a research-focused document.
The user document states:
“Enhanced Visual Search in Photos allows you to search for images using notable landmarks or points of interest. Your device matches locations in your photos with a global index maintained on our servers. We implement homomorphic encryption and differential privacy, alongside an OHTTP relay that conceals your IP address, ensuring Apple does not access the contents of your photos.”
Isn’t this evidence that EVS has been discussed by both Apple and the media?
Additionally, Apple makes it straightforward to disable this feature on both iPhones and Macs. On an iPhone, navigate to Settings > Apps > Photos and scroll to the bottom to toggle off EVS. On a Mac, open Photos and go to Settings > General, then scroll down to disable EVS.
Apple also provides a message on both devices stating: “Enable this device to privately match locations in your photos with a global index maintained by Apple, allowing you to search for nearly any landmark or point of interest.”
While I understand Johnson’s concerns regarding EVS, particularly the default activation of the feature, I believe it will likely not trouble most users. The data transmitted to Apple is encrypted, and as the company claims, the method of uploading is designed to safeguard the privacy of your images, ensuring that your personal information remains inaccessible.
