How to do it
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Find the trip by date or place
On the Photos tab, open Search and type a date, two dates joined by a hyphen, or a place. When you search a place, PicWay shows journeys first.
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Keep one shot from each similar set
On the Memories tab, tap Similar photos under Next up. Don’t see the card? Scroll down to More ways to tidy, tap View all, then tap Similar photos under Smart tidy. PicWay puts what it thinks is the best shot first, and you choose what to keep.
‹ Back Select to keep Not now
✦ Best photo ✓ 
Set aside 
Set aside 
Set aside ✓ Keep 1 · Set aside the other 3Keep all Done Set all aside -
Clean up bursts and screenshots
Back on the Memories tab, tap Clean up bursts under Next up if you see it. Then scroll down to More ways to tidy, tap View all, and tap Screen captures under Quick tidy to swipe through screenshots.
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Compress the long videos
Tap Compress on the Memories tab, choose the videos on the Pick photos or videos to compress screen, then tap Compress. Standard compression is the default. You can switch a finished compression to Strong compression from the Set aside page.
9:41Standard compressionLooks nearly identical
Strong compressionSmaller files for everyday clips
Compress -
Compare, then delete the originals
Open the Set aside page, where compressed copies show up. Tap Compare on the compression card, and tap Compression level if you want a different level. Once the new version looks fine, delete the original, and iOS asks you to confirm.
Why does a trip leave so many photos?
On a trip you shoot the same view from five angles, grab a screenshot of every booking, and film long videos. A traveler on r/travel asked what people do with the thousands of photos they take after coming back. Another r/travel commenter said they delete duplicates, blurry shots, bad angles, and eyes-closed photos. These are single posts, not survey results.
A good order is to find the trip, thin out the near-copies, clear the clutter, then deal with the heavy videos.
How do I find a trip in PicWay?
| Way | How |
|---|---|
| Search a date | Type a date, or two dates joined by a hyphen, for example the first and last day of the trip |
| Search a place | Type a place. PicWay shows journeys first |
| Open a journey | Photos taken away from home over several days in a row become a journey on their own, even if you change cities along the way |
| Memories by month, album, or place | On the Memories tab, PicWay brings back past photos |
Searches run on your iPhone. PicWay doesn’t use your phone’s location. It only reads the coordinates saved with your photos.
One commenter on r/solotravel wrote that they pick a particular day, such as August 13, and search their photos for it. In PicWay, you can search a date too.
What do I clean up first?
| Clutter | Where in PicWay | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Several shots of the same view | Similar photos (bursts of the same scene count here too) | Pick one to keep per group |
| Burst shots | Clean up bursts | Same, group by group. The card appears when you have bursts |
| Screenshots and screen recordings | Screen captures under Quick tidy | Swipe left or right to move on, swipe up to set one aside |
Set-aside photos stay in your library, so you can still tap Put back. For more, see how to delete similar photos and bursts and how to clean up screenshots.
Which video compression level should I use for travel videos?
PicWay compresses a video into a new one and lowers its resolution. It never enlarges a video that is already smaller.
| Level | Longest side of the output, at most |
|---|---|
| Standard compression (default) | 1920 px |
| Strong compression | 1280 px |
If you need to keep the exact resolution, compression is not the right tool. Your original stays until you compare the two and choose to delete it. Spatial and Cinematic videos are skipped, and if a video shrinks by less than 10%, PicWay discards the compressed copy. Capture time and location are kept. Compression happens on your iPhone. More on compressing video.
Quick answers
Does PicWay use my phone’s location?
No. PicWay only reads the coordinates saved with your photos to group them by place.
Will tidying delete my photos?
No. Photos you set aside stay in your library until you review them and confirm deleting. You can get them back until then.
What if my trip videos are still in iCloud?
By default, videos of 500 MB or more are downloaded only over Wi-Fi.
What if I want to free up space fast?
Start with the biggest videos. See how to free up iPhone storage for the other options.