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How to search iPhone photos by date range

The short answer

To search iPhone photos by date range, open PicWay, tap Search, and type the two dates joined by a hyphen, like 20240801-20240921. You get every photo from the first day through the last. The Photos app searches by month or year; PicWay also takes exact days and ranges, and every search runs on your iPhone.

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How to do it

  1. Open Search

    In PicWay, tap Search, the round button at the right end of the bottom bar.

  2. Type the two dates

    Join the first and last day with a hyphen, like 20240801-20240921. Two years work too, like 2019-2021. You get every photo from the start of the first through the end of the second.

  3. Narrow it down if you like

    Add a place or a type after the dates, like Live or video. Searching a place shows your journeys there first.

  4. Nothing found?

    Try fewer conditions, or write the date another way. PicWay doesn’t widen the search on its own.

Other ways to write a date

  • One day: May 1, 2025 or 1 May 2025.
  • The same day every year: leave out the year. May 1 finds May 1 in every year of your library.
  • A whole year: 2024.

Can the Photos app do this?

The Photos app on iPhone searches by month or year, and also by place, category, and text in your photos (Apple’s guide, iPhone User Guide for iOS 27). For an exact day or a range of days, use PicWay. See everything PicWay’s search can find.