5 Ways to Fix Google Photos Face Recognition Not Working on Android and iPhone

Quick Tips

• Ensure face grouping is enabled in Google Photos and that you haven’t hidden any people from face search.
• If Google Photos is failing to identify a specific face, try adding it manually.
• If the issue persists, try signing out of Google Photos and signing back in, or clear its cache.

Try Basic Fixes

• Update the app: Such issues with the facial recognition feature can occur due to a bug within the Photos app. Hence, it’s a good idea to update the Google Photos app from the Play Store (Android) or App Store (iPhone).
• Make sure face grouping is enabled: Google Photos may stop recognizing faces if the face grouping feature is disabled for the app on your Android or iPhone. Open Google Photos settings, tap on Group similar faces, and enable the toggle next to Face grouping.

Fix 1: Unhide People in Google Photos Face Search

Google Photos allows you to hide faces from search results. So, if Google Photos isn’t displaying a few faces, it’s most likely because you’ve previously hidden them. Here’s how to get them back.

Step 1: Open the Google Photos app, go to the Search tab, and tap the View all option next to People and pets to see all the faces.

Step 2: Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner and select Show & hide faces from the list.

Step 3: Select the faces you want to unhide and tap Done. After this, Google Photos will display these faces in the Search tab.

Fix 2: Improve Face Recognition Manually

At times, Google Photos may mistakenly merge the faces of two separate individuals. Fortunately, Google Photos allows you to manually correct such errors in order to improve face recognition. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: In the Google Photos app, navigate to the Search tab, and tap the View all button next to People and pets.

Step 2: Select the face for which you want to improve search results. Tap the three-dot menu icon at the top and select Remove photos.

Step 3: Select the incorrect photos and tap Remove in the top-right corner.

Step 4: Use the checkboxes to specify your reason and tap Submit in the bottom-right corner to apply the changes.

Fix 3: Add a Face Manually

Although Google Photos does an excellent job of finding and grouping faces on its own, it’s not perfect. If Google Photos fails to recognize a face automatically, you can add it manually by following the steps below.

Step 1: Launch the Google Photos app and open a photo of the person whose face you wish to add.

Step 2: Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner and tap on the face you want to add.

Step 3: Tap the plus icon in the top right corner and select Create.

Fix 4: Sign Out and Sign Back In

Temporary issues with your Google account can also prevent the Photos app from grouping faces on your Android or iPhone. Signing out and back into the Google Photos app is an effective way to resolve such issues. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: In the Google Photos app, tap on your profile picture in the top-right corner.

Step 2: Tap on the downward arrow next to your account and select Use without an account.

For those using an iPhone, tap Manage accounts on this device and then select Remove from this device under your account name.

After you log out, tap on the profile icon in the top right corner and select your Google account to sign back in.

Fix 5: Clear Google Photos Cache (Android)

Clearing the cache in Google Photos deletes any old or corrupt temporary files, forcing the app to recreate them from scratch. If the issue with the face recognition feature is caused by faulty cache data, clearing it will help.

Step 1: Long-press on the Google Photos app icon and tap the info icon from the menu that appears.

Step 2: Go to Storage and tap the Clear cache option at the bottom.