Google Maps Can Now Scan Your iPhone Screenshots for Places

Google Maps has gained the optional ability to scan screenshots in your iPhone's photos and save any found locations to a dedicated list.

google maps
Powered by the company's Gemini AI, the new feature lets Google Maps search for any screenshots in your photos, such as social media posts, news articles, and travel blogs, and capture them in the app under a new Screenshots List under the You tab.

The feature scans for shots that include location information like names and addresses, and the app finds associated listings in Google Maps. Users can review those captures via a carousel, and Gemini will automatically identify the associated places and offer to save them with additional details.

The feature's Auto-scan option requires that Google Maps is given the "Allow Access to All Photos" permisssions, so it's not like your photos automatically get scanned. Alternatively, users can browse their photos and manually import screenshots to review. Here's how Google describes the steps involved to save screenshots in Google Maps:

  1. Navigate to the You tab.
  2. At the top of the You tab, you'll see a Screenshots list with a badge that says "Try it out!" Tap the badge. This will open a video showing you how the feature works — you'll even be able to test it out alongside the video.
  3. You'll see a request to allow Google Maps access to your photos. Choose when it has access. (There's also a manual option if you don't want to give Maps full access, more on that later.)
  4. Next time you take a screenshot that includes location information, head to Google Maps after.
  5. If Maps recognizes a place, a message will pop up telling you that it has places ready for you to review.
  6. Tap "review," and decide if you want to save the image to your screenshots list or not. (You can add these images to other lists later, too, if you want.)
  7. You also have the option to upload screenshots manually: When you're in the app select the Screenshots list under the You tab. From there, you can upload screenshots manually. The rest of the process is the same!
  8. You'll see the saved places directly on your map or can get to the list through You tab to access while you're on the go.

The new capability has rolled out to Google Maps for iOS (in U.S. English), and is likely to extend to other languages and regions soon.

Popular Stories

Mayday Calendar

Apple Acquisition Hints at Upgraded Calendar App on iOS 19 or Beyond

Friday May 9, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple acquired Canadian startup Mayday Labs in April 2024, according to a European Commission listing, spotted by French blog MacGeneration. The acquisition had not received widespread attention from tech publications until now. Apple is legally required to report certain acquisitions to the European Commission, under the terms of the EU's Digital Markets Act. Mayday Labs founder Jeremy...
Nineth iOS 19 Feature

iOS 19 Beta is a Month Away With These New Features for Your iPhone

Thursday May 8, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is just one month away, and there are already many new features and changes that are expected with it. Apple should seed the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors...
fortnite apple featured

Epic Games Submits Fortnite to U.S. App Store

Friday May 9, 2025 9:57 am PDT by
As promised, Epic Games today submitted Fortnite to the U.S. App Store, and if approved by Apple, it will mark the first time that the Fortnite app has been available in the United States since 2020. Fortnite will include options to purchase in-app currency from the web rather than through in-app purchase, which is what got the game banned to begin with. This time, though, Apple has been...
iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full iOS 18.5 Release Notes

Tuesday May 6, 2025 2:17 pm PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of iOS 18.5 to developers and public beta testers, giving us a look at the final version of the update that will be provided to the public next week. With the release candidate, Apple provided release notes, so we have a more complete look at the new features that are included in the update, including those that weren't found during the beta...
top stories 2025 05 10

Top Stories: iOS 18.5 Release Imminent, iPhone Rumors for 2025 and Beyond, and More

Saturday May 10, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
With Apple's developer conference where it will show off iOS 19 just a month away, the company is wrapping up work on iOS 18.5 ahead of an imminent release to deliver a few new features and updates. This week also saw a number of iPhone-related rumors, encompassing not only this year's iPhone 17 lineup but also Apple's plans for 2026 and 2027, even as Apple's Eddy Cue suggested AI could make ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Apple's Foldable iPhone Display Tech May Set New Industry Standard

Thursday May 8, 2025 3:29 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone will feature a new type of display panel developed by Samsung that has never been used in a foldable product, claims a source with links to Apple's supply chain. According to the account yeux1122 on the Korean Naver blog, the foldable iPhone will use a custom display process for which Apple will hold branding trademark rights, and that meets Apple's stringent ...

Top Rated Comments

DougieS Avatar
4 days ago at 04:54 am
100% no thanks. Google not getting access to my full library.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
abusbey3 Avatar
4 days ago at 05:13 am
Absolutely NO NO NO.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kirkster Avatar
4 days ago at 05:21 am
Not if google were the last immigrant grocer on earth… Honey…
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iMac The Knife Avatar
4 days ago at 05:24 am
Yeah, I'm sure folks with iPhones are completely stoked on Google scanning their phones...?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ignatius345 Avatar
4 days ago at 05:25 am

The feature's Auto-scan option requires that Google Maps is given the "Allow Access to All Photos" permisssions
Nope!

This is probably the actual reason the whole feature was developed -- as bait to get someone lazy to just let Google run rampant through their entire photo album.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fuzzball84 Avatar
4 days ago at 05:03 am
AI will be scanning you’re entire device soon enough and who knows where that data will end up.

Got anything embarrassing, well it will be spewed out by an LLM soon enough ?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)