Apple has quietly enabled a new visual search feature in iOS 18 and macOS 15 that raises questions about user privacy. This feature, called “Enhanced Visual Search”, is activated by default on iPhones and Macs without users being really informed, and that does not sit well with some privacy advocates.
A controversial feature enabled by default
Improved Visual Search automatically identifies landmarks and points of interest in your photos. Concretely, when you take a photo of a building or a famous place, the Photos application can identify it and allow you to easily find these photos by searching for the name of the place.
To work, however, this technology requires sending certain data from your photos to Apple’s servers. As the developer discovered Jeff Johnsonthis setting is enabled automatically when updating to iOS 18, without requiring explicit user permission. A decision that contrasts with Apple’s image as a defender of confidentiality.
A sophisticated technology that raises questions
Apple says it implements advanced technologies to protect data privacy, including homomorphic encryption and differential privacy. The company explains that the process begins on the device: a machine learning model first analyzes the photo to detect a potential area of interest. If a monument is identified, an encrypted fingerprint is sent to Apple’s servers for comparison with its global database.
However, even though Apple takes precautions to secure data, enabling this feature by default raises questions. Especially since the company has communicated very little about this new feature, having simply mentioned it in a technical blog post in October 2024. Apple is accused of having communicated about Visual Intelligence but never about its operation accurate.
How to deactivate the function
Users concerned about their privacy can disable this function:
- On iPhone: Settings > Apps > Photos > Enhanced visual search
- On Mac: Photos application > Settings > General
Note that the feature is not available in Europe but should arrive in April.
This situation is reminiscent of other controversies surrounding Apple’s data collection, such as when the company secretly recorded interactions with Siri. As a reminder, the company had to set up several pop-ups of data sharing choices for the improvement of Siri
One thing is really strange: it is not clear whether this feature is part of Apple Intelligence. First presented at the iPhone 16 keynote, the option to deactivate the function was found on American iPhone 14 Pros. Proof if any were needed that Apple communicated too little about this new feature.
This news comes as Apple places a strong emphasis on privacy protection in its communication, particularly with its slogan “What happens on your iPhone stays on your iPhone”. A promise which today seems to be undermined by the default activation of this type of functionality.
