iOS 18 Sparks Privacy Concerns Over Default Photo Sharing with Apple via Enhanced Visual Search

iOS 18 introduces Enhanced Visual Search, a feature that shares photo data with Apple by default. Privacy advocates warn users about potential risks, though the feature can be turned off via settings.

Enhanced Visual Search Sparks Privacy Concerns

Now it's been found that by default, iOS 18 exchanges photo data with Apple, so Apple may see what's in your images.

Apple receives user photo data through Enhanced Visual Search in iOS 18 and macOS 15, as previously stated. If you haven't heard of it, Enhanced Visual Search is a new feature in iOS 15 that automatically transmits images to Apple when it detects things in them.

You may disable the feature on both your Mac and iPhone by going into the Settings app.

Jeff Johnson Highlights Data Sharing Risks

Claiming that Enhanced Visual Search, a feature in iOS 18 and macOS 15 Sequia, shares photo data with Apple in a sophisticated method, developer Jeff Johnson discovered the finding. With this function, the camera can identify familiar locations and place them in context within the Photos app.

Despite the feature's attractiveness, Apple has been secretly collecting user data, which might be problematic for both the business and its customers.

How to Disable Enhanced Visual Search

If you're not sure how to do it, you can disable Enhanced Visual Search by going to Settings > Apps > Photos and tapping on that.

Using machine learning to identify items or landmarks in images and then constructing a vector embedding—a digital representation of the object's or monument's characteristics—are two separate but related functions, according to developer Jeff Johnson.

Machine Learning and Landmark Detection

Users may be inadvertently transmitting photo data to Apple for landmark identification since the capability is enabled by default. Users may be concerned about their privacy, but the good news is that the Enhanced Visual Search option is readily disabled in the settings app.

Although WCCFTECH acknowledges that Apple receives some of the photo data, they personally would keep the option enabled because Apple takes user privacy very seriously.