How to Reverse Image Search on iPhone: 5 Methods

Reverse image search on iPhone can help investigators, researchers, journalists, bloggers, and corporates verify the origin and authenticity of images. Personal users may also leverage it to track down the source of an image or find similar visuals online.

I frequently use reverse image search to identify unknown objects, verify image authenticity, and find the source of an image. This process has helped me numerous times from online frauds through social media and dating sites. It’s great for discovering similar images, protecting my intellectual property, and locating high-resolution versions of photos. Plus, I can track the use of my photos online. Here are some methods that I have used to reverse image search on iPhone.

Methods to Reverse Image Search on iPhone

Method 1: Using Google Images

I have used Google Images to search for specific pictures or to learn about the authenticity of a photo. It allowed me to verify images from not only my smartphone but also my laptop.

Google Images takes just a couple of seconds to generate results that I found to be fairly accurate. It also displays the link for the image source.

Here are the steps to perform a reverse image search on your iPhone device using Google Images:

Step 1) Open google.com on your iPad/iPhone.

Step 2) Upload the desired image from your iPhone by clicking the camera icon.

Step 3) Google Images will display the result along with the option to view the online source of the image.

Link: https://images.google.com/

Method 2: Using third-party apps

Below, I have reviewed two tools that I found to be effective for carrying out reverse search images on iPhone:

1) Social Catfish

I’ve recently tried Social Catfish’s reverse image search, and it’s a game-changer! The user-friendly interface of this tool made it easy for me to uncover fake profiles within a matter of few minutes.

Using Social Catfish’s reverse image search process, I was able to extract more details about pictures that specifically had a human subject.

Features:

• Reverse Image Search: I uploaded a profile picture and performed a reverse image search. The tool scanned the web, revealing if the same image was used elsewhere, helping me spot potential catfishing.
• Facial Recognition: Social Catfish helped me analyze profile pictures and other available online images. It was able to detect if the same face appeared on multiple profiles, even with slight differences.
• Background Check: Using an individual’s image, this tool provided me the option to conduct a detailed background check. I was able to uncover the real name, linked social profiles, criminal records, and other publicly available information.
• Social Media Profiles: This tool can verify the images of people used in social media profiles and dating platforms. It helped me detect fraud from a reputed dating site.
• Geolocation: Some images have location data embedded in them. Social Catfish reverse image search can use those data to identify the location where the images were clicked.

Visit Social Catfish >>

3-Days Trial for $6.87

Step-by-step guide to reverse image search using Social Catfish on iPhone:

Step 1) Click on the “Image” search tab, upload the image using the “Browse and upload the image here” option, and hit “Search”.

Step 2) To access the detailed report, you can try the 3-day paid trial for $6.87.

Visit Social Catfish >>

3-Days Trial for $6.87

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2) TinEye

Another app I used to retrieve information about an image is TinEye. It can perform a reverse image search to detect all the digital spaces where the image can be located.

Once I wanted to verify the image of a girl I met through Tinder. I used TinEye reverse image search to extract more information about the girl. Using the profile picture of the girl, TinEye revealed several info like actual name, past relationship status, criminal records, present location, etc.

Features:

• Image Match Technology: TinEye helped me find exact images that matched. It could also detect if an image has been edited, like resized, cropped, or color-corrected.
• Multicolor Search: This tool allowed me to search visually similar images based on specific color tones. As a result, I was able to figure out images sharing common color schemes.
• Browser Extensions: Since TinEye supports most of the browser extensions, I could search images from the web from my iPhone and perform a reverse search. The web version supports different image formats like bmp, jpeg, png, etc.
• API Integration: TinEye provides an API that developers can integrate into their applications. It enables automated reverse image searches in their systems or websites.
• Privacy Focus: This tool prioritizes user privacy by not storing the images searched on its platform. The image data is discarded after the search is completed to ensure confidentiality.

Step-by-step guide to reverse image search using TinEye on iPhone:

Here are the steps to use TinEye for reverse image search:

Step 1) Visit the TinEye website and click the “Upload” button on the left of the search bar to browse and select the image saved on your desktop. Alternatively, you can paste the image’s URL into the search bar.

Step 2) After uploading the image or pasting the URL, TinEye will display related searches, different image sizes, and websites containing the same picture, allowing you to explore the results.

Link: https://tineye.com

Method 3: Using Bing Visual Search

Another method that I strongly trust is Bing Visual Search, which has helped me multiple times to learn about an image’s whereabouts online.

With the help of a few clicks, I could easily find the online portals where the image appeared. However, I was unable to find some of the images from my iPhone which could be easily searched using Google.

Here are the steps to conduct a reverse image search with the help of Bing Visual Search:

Step 1) Open Edge/Safari and visit bing.com/visualsearch.

Step 2) Tap on the Camera Icon, choose the picture, and then click on “Upload an image”.

Step 3) Bing Visual Search will start to analyze the image and then produce the search results. The result will contain images that are visually similar to the image used for the search. It will also provide information on the pages from where these images were retrieved, whether they have been edited, are original images, etc.

Link: https://www.bing.com/images/feed

Method 4: Using Google Lens

Using Google Lens Reverse Image search on your iPhone is a quick way to find out more about an image and where it appears online. The process takes just a few taps in the Google Photos app.

Reverse image search with Google Lens is great for finding the source of an image, discovering similar images, or getting information about the contents of an image. Google Lens can be downloaded from the Apple Store on your iPhone.

Let’s have a look at the step-by-step process:

Step 1) Upload an image to Google Lens by going to lens.google.com and tapping the camera icon in your mobile browser. The image can be anything: a screenshot, an image from a website or app, or a picture located on your phone.

Step 2) You can tap on any part of the image to search for a specific area, or you can search for the entire image. The results are displayed at the bottom.

Link: https://lens.google/#device

Method 5: Yandex Image Search

As an avid researcher, I’ve found Yandex image search to be a powerful tool for reverse image searches on my iPhone. The process is simple – I just upload the image, and Yandex quickly scans the web to find matching or similar visuals. It’s a fast and effective way to uncover the origins of images on my mobile device.

Here are the steps to carry out the process:

Step 1) From your iPhone, open the Yandex browser. In case you don’t have this browser installed on your phone, it’s easily available on Apple Store to download.

Step 2) You will find a camera icon on the search bar. Tap on it to select and upload the image from your phone. Yandex will analyze the image and search for images that are visually similar to each other. It will also display the sites where the images have appeared online.

Link: https://yandex.com/images/

Is it possible to reverse image search a screenshot?

Yes, you can take a screenshot on your iPhone and then reverse image search it from the iPhone. With the help of Google Lens, you can simply upload a screenshot to conduct the search. Additionally, I have also used tools like Social Catfish and Bing Visual Search to perform reverse image search for a screenshot taken from my iPhone.

Ethical and Privacy Concerns in Reverse Image Search

Reverse image search tools must focus on transparency, security, and user consent to maintain someone’s privacy. It is necessary to use secured servers along with level-3 encryption to safeguard from unauthorized access.

When you are trying to do a reverse image search of people, ethical considerations become an extremely crucial factor to consider. It must be ensured that facial data isn’t used for surveillance or profiling. To secure a safe and ethical future of advanced reverse image search technology, it is necessary to create a perfect balance between the benefits and privacy protection.

What does the future hold for reverse image search?

With the advancement of technology, the concept of reverse image search is undergoing some transformation. Developers are emphasizing more on improving image recognition accuracy. Using AI and deep learning concepts, they are trying to enhance reverse image search procedures even for low-resolution images. Reverse face search concepts are used to identify people using the mobile camera. Ongoing research promises to revolutionize industries, unlocking the power of visual information.

Conclusion

Before concluding, I would like to recommend readers to try Google Images for reverse image search. It is a free tool and mostly produces authentic results. However, if you want to have a more comprehensive report for an image, consider using Social Catfish, which produces a lot of additional info associated with the image.