How to reverse image search on an iPhone, and why you might want to use these third-party apps instead of Google Images

Dave Johnson

Jul 12, 2019, 05:08 IST

How to reverse image search on an iPhone, and why you might want to use these third-party apps instead of Google Images

Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

Use reverse image search on your iPhone to locate where an image originated.

You can use reverse image search on your iPhone to identify images or find other websites that have used a specific image.
Reverse image search can help you request permission from the image's original copyright owner or see if your own photos are being used without permission.
You can reverse image search on your iPhone using Safari, Chrome, or a handful of other apps that you may find more useful.
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One of the challenges of the internet age is dealing with photo rights, permissions, and copyright.

If you ever need to know if a photo has been used elsewhere on the internet, or discover where it originated, reverse image search is a convenient tool that helps you find where else an image exists online.

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You can conduct a reverse image search several different ways on you iPhone.

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How to reverse image search an image on your iPhone using Safari and Google

If you have an image already on your iPhone and want to know where it appears on the web, you can use Google image search on Safari - but not the mobile version of the Google site - you'll need to switch to the desktop version.

1. Start the Safari app and navigate to images.google.com.

2. Tap the Share button at the bottom of the screen (it looks like a square with an upward arrow) and then tap "Request Desktop Site."

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You need to open the desktop version of this Google site to do a reverse image search.

3. After the desktop version of the Google page loads, tap the camera icon in the search box.

4. If you have the URL of the photo you want to search for, paste it into the search box. Otherwise, tap "Upload an image" and choose the photo from your iPhone.

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Choose the photo you want to search for and Google will find it elsewhere on the internet.

For more information on Google's reverse image search, read our article, "How to reverse search an image on Google with your phone, tablet, or computer."

How to reverse image search an image you find on an iPhone's Chrome app

Chrome makes it easy to do a reverse image search directly on an image you find online, without downloading it to your iPhone or knowing its URL. If you don't already have the browser's app installed on your iPhone, though, you will need to download Chrome from the App Store.

1. Start the Chrome app and navigate to the web page with the image you want to do a reverse search on.

2. Tap and hold the image for a couple of seconds until the pop-up menu appears.

3. Tap "Search Google for This Image."

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Tap and hold an image in Chrome to search the internet for it.

Use dedicated reverse-image search apps and websites

While Safari and Chrome are great for quickly searching for photos on the web, there are a number of other tools you might want to use instead.

First of all, tineye.com is a convenient website because you can use it in Safari without switching to the desktop version, like you need to do with Google images.

In addition, there are a few dedicated reverse image search apps you might want to try. These are often more thorough because they reference multiple search engines, rather than just Google. The best free reverse image search apps that we recommend include Reverse Image Search, Reversee, and Veracity.