Apple’s latest iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia updates have a feature called Enhanced Visual Search (EVS). This feature, which is enabled by default, allows users to search for landmarks and points of interest in their photos but requires sending some photo data to Apple’s servers.
EVS is an expansion of Apple’s Visual Look-Up feature. It uses machine learning to identify landmarks in users’ photos and provides additional information about them. The feature works by creating a mathematical representation of certain parts of an image, which is then sent to Apple’s servers for matching against a global landmark database.
Apple claims to use several privacy-preserving techniques:
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- Homomorphic encryption
- Differential privacy
- An OHTTP relay to hide IP addresses
These measures are designed to prevent Apple from learning about the content of users’ photos.
Despite Apple’s assurances, the feature is enabled by default without explicit user consent, which is a big concern. It contradicts Apple’s previous “What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone” marketing stance.
For users who prefer to opt-out, the feature can be turned off:
On iPhone/iPad:
- Go to Settings > Apps > Photos
- Scroll to the bottom and toggle off Enhanced Visual Search
On Mac:
- Open the Photos app
- Go to Settings > General
- Uncheck Enhanced Visual Search
More here.
Thanks for the heads up. As soon as I found out about this I shut it off.