• Tech

How to Clean Up Your Messy iPhone Photo Library

3 minute read

The iPhone is an excellent camera—which is why it’s easy to let your photos pile up into a massive collection over time. If you’re looking to clean up your iPhone’s photo stash (or your iPad or iPod Touch), there are a few ways to quickly delete and organize images to your liking.

First, here is how to erase multiple images at once using the iPhone’s Photos app:

  • Launch the Photos app.
  • Tap the “Select” button in the upper right corner of the screen.
  • Choose the photos you want to get rid of. You can do this by tapping each individual photo or by tapping one photo and then dragging your finger over the other images you’d like to delete to select pictures more quickly.
  • Once you’ve selected all of the files that should be disposed of, tap the trash can icon at the bottom of the screen.
  • Sometimes after you delete an image, it might still appear on another Apple device if you have My Photo Stream turned on. This is a feature that syncs images across all of your Apple devices. If you want to delete images from all of the Apple gadgets you own, navigate to Photos > Albums > My Photo Stream and repeat the steps listed above.

    These Are the First Photos Shot With the New iPhone 6s

    New York, Sept. 21, 2015.Benjamin Lowy—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
    New York, Sept. 21, 2015.
    New York, Sept. 21, 2015.Benjamin Lowy—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
    New York, Sept. 21, 2015.
    New York, Sept. 21, 2015.Benjamin Lowy—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
    New York, Sept. 21, 2015.
    New York, Sept. 21, 2015.Benjamin Lowy—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.Benjamin Lowy—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.Benjamin Lowy—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.Benjamin Lowy—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.Benjamin Lowy—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.Benjamin Lowy—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.Benjamin Lowy—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.Benjamin Lowy—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.Benjamin Lowy—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.Benjamin Lowy—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.Benjamin Lowy—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.Benjamin Lowy—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.
    Coney Island, Sept. 21, 2015.Benjamin Lowy—Getty Images Reportage for TIME

    In other instances, deciding which photos to part with isn’t that simple. Cleen is an app designed to help you separate the photos you should trash from the ones worth holding on to. Here’s how to use it:

  • Launch the App Store on your iPhone.
  • Search for Cleen.
  • Tap the “Get” button to install the app. You may be required to enter your AppleID password.
  • Launch Cleen once it’s been installed and grant the app permission to view your photos.
  • The app will then display the most recent photos you’ve taken on your iPhone. If you want to erase the photo, swipe down. Swiping up will favorite the photo, and swiping left skips it completely. This allows you to sort and rate the images on your phone so that you can remember to keep the important ones and erase the insignificant snaps.
  • If you want to keep your recent photos and jump to images taken at a specific date or location, try asking Siri. With iOS 9, you can ask Siri things such as “Show me photos from 2012” to quickly navigate to older images.

    More Must-Reads From TIME

    Contact us at letters@time.com