Your iPhone Photos app is packed with symbols, badges, icons, and status indicators that provide essential information about your photos and videos.
Some are obvious, like the heart badge for favorites or the play icon for videos, but others—such as iCloud status icons, Live Photo symbols, or metadata badges—can be confusing.
Understanding these photo badges and icons is more than just knowing what they mean; it’s about using them to manage your photos smarter, prevent mistakes, and get the most from your iPhone’s powerful photo tools. Many users overlook how these symbols impact storage, editing, and privacy.
For example:
- Did you know that a cloud icon means your photo exists only in iCloud?
If you delete it without downloading, it’s gone forever. - Have you spotted the star badge on some photos?
It means Visual Lookup has detected objects in the image that your iPhone can identify. - Think an edited photo is permanent?
Your iPhone actually keeps both the original and edited version, allowing you to revert at any time. - Are your Live Photos taking up too much space?
Turning off the Live badge when unnecessary can save storage while still keeping high-quality images.
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You’ll learn why certain photos display location pins, metadata tags, and syncing icons—and how to take better control over your photo library.
By the end, you’ll be able to interpret every iPhone photo symbol at a glance, making it easier to organize, edit, and protect your images. For further details, check Apple’s official guide on iPhone camera basics.
Key takeaways
- The iPhone Photos app uses symbols, badges, and status icons to indicate photo attributes, editing status, and storage location.
- Understanding these icons helps you manage your photos more efficiently, making it easier to find, edit, and organize images.
- Some icons indicate photo modifications or enhancements, while others show storage and syncing details.
- Certain badges provide additional information about objects, locations, or metadata embedded in a photo.
- Recognizing these status icons can prevent mistakes, such as accidental deletions or misinterpreting where a photo is stored.
- Using these photo badges effectively helps you get the most out of your iPhone’s camera and storage features.
Where do you see these photo symbols?
These symbols appear when editing a photograph, on the photo themselves, or when you take a picture using your iPhone.
See our other guides on iPhone Photos, including How to recover permanently deleted photos from iPhone
iPhone photo library status badges
When browsing your iPhone’s Photos app, you may notice various symbols, badges, and status icons on your images and videos. These indicators provide quick details about the status, type, and storage location of your photos. Understanding these icons helps you manage your media more effectively, avoid accidental deletions, and take advantage of built-in photo features.
The tables below categorize and explain these status badges, ensuring you can recognize and use them properly.
Editing and favorite icons
| Symbol / Badge / Icon | Meaning |
 | Indicates that the photo has been edited using iPhone’s built-in tools. The original version is still available for reversion. |
 | The photo has been marked as a favorite and can be accessed quickly in the Favorites album. |
Capture mode icons
 | The image is a Live Photo, capturing a short animated clip with sound. |
 | The image is a panoramic photo, stitched together from multiple frames. |
 | The photo was taken using HDR mode, which enhances brightness, contrast, and color accuracy. |
Video icons
 | The item is a video file, which may be a standard recording, a slow-motion clip, or a time-lapse sequence. |
 | The image is a Live Photo set to bounce, playing forward and then in reverse. |
 | The image is a Live Photo set to loop continuously. |
Location and metadata icons
 | The image contains location data (GPS tagged), which can be viewed on a map. |
 | Keywords have been applied to the image, allowing for better searchability. |
Additional symbols in the photos app
 | The photo was captured in RAW format, which allows for advanced editing while preserving the highest image quality. |
 | Visual Lookup is available, meaning the iPhone can identify objects, landmarks, plants, or animals in the image. |
 | The rotate tool allows you to change the orientation of the image. |
 | The flip option allows you to create a mirrored version of the image. |
 | Photo filters and effects can be applied to change the appearance of an image. |
 | Draw on photo allows you to annotate or add sketches to an image. |
Recognising these photo status badges helps you quickly understand image attributes, storage locations, and editing options.
For more information, see Edit photos and videos on iPhone.
Visual lookup automatic detection tool for photos
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Since iOS 16, Apple has introduced visual lookup which allows you to identify animals, plants, landmarks and more in your photos. It can even identify food and provide recipes that include it as an ingredient.
You can tell with visual lookup is available as a star appears at the top left of the info icon when looking at the photo.
To use it, do the following:
- In the photo gallery open a picture in full screen or pause a video on any frame.
- Tap the starred Info button
- Select Look Up at the top of the photo information to see the results.
To find out more, see Use Visual Look Up to identify objects in your photos and videos on iPhone.
On-screen icons when taking a photo
When using the iPhone camera, several on-screen symbols, badges, and status icons provide quick access to camera settings. These icons allow you to adjust flash, exposure, filters, and shooting modes to optimize your shots in different environments.
The following sections explain the most common camera icons, their functions, and how they impact photo quality.
Top-screen camera icons
The top of the screen contains essential camera controls:
- Flash – Switch between Auto, On, or Off for better lighting.
- Live Photo – Captures a short animated clip with sound before and after the shot.
- Arrow – Expands the settings bar to access advanced options.
Expanded camera settings
By tapping the arrow icon, more camera settings appear at the bottom of the screen:
These settings allow for greater control over composition and image quality. The table below explains each setting in detail.
| Icon | Function | When to Use It |
| Flash | Enables or disables flash to improve lighting in dark conditions. | Use in low-light settings; avoid in bright areas to prevent overexposure. |
| Live Photo | Captures movement and sound, creating a short animation. | Ideal for action shots or candid moments with slight motion. |
| Timer | Sets a delay (3s or 10s) before capturing the photo. | Best for hands-free shots, group photos, or reducing camera shake. |
| Photo Size | Adjusts the aspect ratio between 4:3, 16:9, or Square. | Use 16:9 for widescreen, 4:3 for standard photos, and Square for social media. |
| Exposure | Manually brightens or darkens the image before capture. | Increase for dark settings; decrease in bright environments to prevent overexposure. |
| Filters | Applies real-time color effects such as Mono, Noir, or Chrome. | Use to enhance mood or match the style of your photos. |
Bottom-screen camera icons
The bottom of the screen includes controls for shooting modes and taking photos:
The table below explains these icons and their purpose.
| Icon | Function | When to Use It |
| Shooting Mode | Switches between different modes (Photo, Portrait, Video, Slo-Mo, Panorama). | Use Portrait for depth effects, Slo-Mo for slow-motion footage, and Panorama for wide landscapes. |
| Camera Rotate | Switches between front and rear cameras. | Use the front camera for selfies and the rear camera for higher-quality shots. |
| Shutter | Captures the photo when pressed. | Tap for a single shot; press and hold for burst mode. |
| Photo Library | Opens the gallery to review captured photos. | Tap to check your recent images and make quick edits. |
Tips for getting the best shot
- Use HDR mode in high-contrast scenes to balance bright and dark areas.
- Enable Night Mode for improved clarity in low-light environments.
- Turn off Live Photos when not needed to save storage space.
- Use a tripod and timer to reduce camera shake for long-exposure shots.
- Adjust exposure manually for more control over brightness in challenging lighting conditions.
Mastering these camera icons and settings helps you take professional-looking photos with ease. For more in-depth guidance, refer to Apple’s official guide to iPhone camera basics.
Icons when viewing photos in the Photos app
When browsing photos in the iPhone Photos app, various symbols, badges, and status icons indicate important details about the images. These icons provide information about storage status, edits, sharing settings, and advanced features like Live Photos and Visual Lookup.
Understanding these icons helps you efficiently manage your photos, ensuring that you know where they are stored, how they have been modified, and whether additional features are enabled.
Photo status and metadata icons
| Icon | Meaning | When to Use It |
 | iCloud Sync – The photo is stored in iCloud but not on the device. | Tap the image to download it for offline access. |
 | Shared Album – The image is part of a shared album with other users. | Use this to share photos with friends or family through iCloud. |
| Editing Badge – Indicates that the photo has been modified using editing tools. | Tap Edit to revert to the original if needed. |
| Visual Lookup – The iPhone can identify objects, landmarks, or animals in the image. | Tap the info button and select Look Up to get more details. |
| No Icon Available | Hidden Album – The image is stored in the Hidden album and will not appear in the main Photos feed. | View hidden photos by going to Albums > Hidden. |
Live Photo effect icons
When viewing a Live Photo, different effect icons may appear to indicate how motion is being applied to the image. These effects allow users to change the way the photo is animated.
| Icon | Meaning | When to Use It |
 | Live Photo – Captures a short animation with sound before and after the shot. | Use for action shots or moments with movement. |
 | Bounce – Plays the Live Photo forward and backward repeatedly. | Use for looping animations, ideal for playful moments. |
 | Loop – Creates a continuous looping animation from the Live Photo. | Use to turn a Live Photo into a seamless video clip. |
 | Long Exposure – Blends multiple frames into a single long-exposure image. | Use for capturing light trails, waterfalls, or motion blur effects. |
Tips for managing photos using icons
- Check iCloud sync status to avoid deleting photos that are only stored in the cloud.
- Use the Visual Lookup icon to learn more about objects and locations in your images.
- Understand Live Photo effects so you can choose the best animation style for your images.
- Keep track of edited photos with the editing badge, ensuring you can revert changes if needed.
- Use the Hidden Album feature to keep private images secure without deleting them.
Recognizing these icons allows you to manage your photos efficiently, ensuring that your images are organized, stored properly, and optimized for sharing. For additional details, refer to Apple’s official guide on managing photos.
Sharing and privacy icons in the Photos app
When sharing photos or managing privacy settings, the iPhone Photos app displays various symbols, badges, and status icons to indicate how an image is being shared or secured. These icons help users understand which photos have been sent via links, whether location data is included, and if people or pets have been recognized.
Knowing what these icons mean helps protect privacy, control shared content, and ensure that personal information isn’t exposed unintentionally. The table below explains the most common sharing and privacy icons.
Sharing and privacy-related icons
| Icon | Meaning | When to Use It |
| Shared Photo Link – The image has been shared via an iCloud link. | Tap the share icon to manage link access or stop sharing. |
 | AirDrop – The photo has been sent or received via AirDrop. | Use AirDrop to quickly share images with nearby Apple devices. |
| TBC | Location Data – Indicates whether the photo includes embedded GPS location data. | Before sharing, remove location data if you don’t want recipients to see where the image was taken. |
 | People & Pets Recognition – Faces or pets in the image have been identified by iPhone’s AI. | Check Photos > Albums > People & Pets to see images grouped by recognized individuals. |
| TBC | Restricted Album – The photo is in an album with limited access settings. | Use this to keep certain images private from shared albums. |
Tips for managing shared photos and privacy
- Review shared links in iCloud to ensure only the right people have access.
- Disable location data before sharing photos to protect privacy.
- Use AirDrop cautiously to prevent accidentally sending images to unknown users.
- Check album privacy settings to control which photos are visible in shared albums.
- Use the People & Pets album to easily find and manage photos of specific individuals.
Recognizing these icons helps you protect your personal data, control who sees your photos, and manage privacy settings effectively. For more details on securing and sharing images, refer to Apple’s official guide on sharing photos.
Summary of iPhone photo icons and badges
iPhone photos display various icons, symbols, and status badges that help users understand how their images are stored, shared, edited, and categorized. These icons appear in different sections of the Photos app, including the camera interface, the photo library, and when viewing or editing individual images.
By learning what these icons mean, users can:
- Recognize media types such as Live Photos, videos, and panoramic shots.
- Understand storage status with iCloud sync and shared album indicators.
- Manage privacy using location, hidden album, and sharing status icons.
- Apply and track edits using the editing badge and adjustment tools.
- Use special features such as Visual Lookup to identify objects in photos.
These symbols provide a visual guide to how your images are stored, shared, and edited, making it easier to manage your photo library. By understanding these icons, you can make informed decisions when organizing, editing, and sharing your pictures.
For more details on managing photos and understanding icons, visit Apple’s official guide on iPhone Photos.
