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How to find and name people and pets in Photos on iPhone

The Photos app sorts photos and videos of people, dogs, and cats in the People & Pets collection (or the People collection if no pets appear). You can name a person, dog, or cat directly from a photo or video in your photo library, or in the People & Pets collection.

When you name someone, they’re automatically added to People & Pets and named in other photos. A question mark appears next to anyone you haven’t named yet.

Name a person or pet in a photo or video

Naming a person or pet in a photo or video automatically adds them to the People & Pets collection, and they’re named in your other photos and videos, too.

  1. Start the Photos app on your iPhone.
  2. Open a photo or video and then swipe up to see the details. People or pets in the photo or video appear in the bottom-left corner. A question mark appears next to those you haven’t named.
  3. Tap the person or pet with a question mark next to their picture. Tap Edit Name and Photos.

    The top half of the iPhone screen shows a photo open in the Photos app. In the bottom-left corner of the photo are the faces of the people that appear in the photo. One of the faces has a question mark next to it. A menu of options includes, from top to bottom, All Photos, Make Key Photo, Edit Name and Photos, and Don’t Feature This Person.

  4. Tap Name This Person or Name This Pet and enter their name. Tap the Done button.

Name a person or pet in the People & Pets collection

  1. Start the Photos app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Collections and tap People & Pets. Then tap the person or pet you want to name.

    The People & Pets collection in the Photos app. Groups appear at the top, and people and pets are listed below.

  3. Tap Name This Person or Name This Pet. Then enter their name. If the person is listed in your contacts, you can tap their name below Results.
  4. Tap the Done button.

If the person or pet you want to name doesn’t appear, tap Add People at the bottom of the People & Pets collection to see more faces.

Change the key photo for a person or pet

In the People & Pets collection, you can change the key photo of a person or pet.

  1. Start the Photos app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Collections and tap People & Pets. Then touch and hold the key photo you want to change.
  3. Tap Edit Name and Photos and tap the photo icon in the bottom-right corner of the current key photo.
  4. Select a new photo from the choices in the photo grid and tap the Done button.

Mark a person or pet as a favorite

To make the people or pets you interact with the most easier to find in the People & Pets collection, mark them as favorites.

  1. Start the Photos app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Collections, then tap People & Pets.
  3. Touch and hold a person or pet’s key photo and tap Favorite.

To remove a person or pet from your favorites, touch and hold their key photo in the People & Pets collection, then tap Unfavorite.

Fix incorrect names

Found misidentifications in the People & Pets collection? You can fix them.

  1. Start the Photos app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Collections, then tap People & Pets.
  3. Tap the misidentified person or pet. Tap the More button at the top of the screen.
  4. Tap the incorrect name at the top of the menu, tap the name again, enter the correct name, and then tap the Done button.

You can also fix misidentifications while viewing a photo or video in your library. Swipe up to see the photo or video information. Tap the misidentified person or pet in the circle at the bottom-left corner. Tap This is Not [name], then tap Rename This Person or Rename This Pet.

Sort the People & Pets collection alphabetically or manually

  1. Start the Photos app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Collections, tap People & Pets, tap Sort, and then choose one of the following:
    • Sort alphabetically: Tap Sort by Name.
    • Sort manually: Tap Sort by Custom Order. Touch and hold a key photo and drag it to a new position.

Hide or don’t feature a person or pet

  1. Start the Photos app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap People & Pets and then touch and hold the person or pet’s key photo.
  3. Tap Hide [name] or Don’t Feature [name].

When you’re using iCloud Photos, People & Pets stays up to date on all your devices.

Tag: Photos