How to Use Your iPhone to Identify Plants, Animals, and Landmarks

With the incredible advancements that we now have in technology, it’s no wonder that our phones can do just about anything. From ordering a taxi to finding the best restaurants in town, there’s an app for everything.

So why not use your phone to help you identify plants, animals, and landmarks when you’re out and about? If this sounds too futuristic, it almost is. Apple only recently included object identification in its updated iOS 15.

So as long as you know what to do, you can live on the cutting edge of technology. As an Apple feature, you will need an iPhone 15 or later to take advantage of it. But other than that, you should be all set.

How to Use It

Formally referred to as “Visual Look Up,” Apple’s object identification enables you to see plants, animals, and landmarks. To use this ground-breaking feature, you first need to take a picture of the subject in question (or have said subject already snapped in your photo album).

For example, let’s say there’s a unique plant growing in your backyard that you wish to identify. Simply open the picture and look for the “i” symbol. It’s the letter “i” in a small circle.

If you don’t readily see it, just tap anywhere on the picture to “wake it up.” Now, you should see a couple of tiny star icons next to the “i” symbol. The stars denote whether Visual Look Up works on your photo.

Please note, though, that not all photos will register as being part of Visual Look Up. As mentioned, only plants, animals, and landmarks currently register. That said, it’s almost certain that Apple will one day implement additional Visual Look Up capabilities.

If you don’t see the star icons and you’re certain that the picture you took falls under “plants, animals, or landmarks,” it’s likely that the image quality isn’t good enough. So just take another (read: better) picture and try again.

Once you confirm that stars are present next to the “i” symbol, tap on the “i” symbol to bring up more options. Among the options should be a “Look Up” feature. This feature can come in different forms depending on the image subject matter.

So in the instance of that strange plant growing in your backyard, you might see a leaf icon accompanied by the word “Plant.” This is where “Look Up” really proves its worth. Tap on “Look Up,” and Apple will tell you additional information, such as the plant’s genus.

Try this will as many photos as you like to see if Visual Look Up can tell you anything new!