iOS 17 Photos App Can Tell You What Those Confusing Laundry Symbols Mean - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

iOS 17 Photos App Can Tell You What Those Confusing Laundry Symbols Mean

The Photos app in iOS 17 can identify a wide range of symbols, including the laundry symbols that you see on clothing tags. As noted by MacStories' Federico Vittici, if you take a photo of a tag with laundry symbols, it is highlighted through the Visual Look Up feature, and can be tapped for a symbol translation.

ios 17 look up laundry
The iPhone will provide an explanation for each symbol that is on the tag, with a tap on the explanation able to provide more information from the website that Apple is sourcing. Apple is getting information for laundry instructions from the Online Browsing Platform that is run by the International Organization for Standardization.

Visual Look Up appears to recognize all of the laundry symbols that we tested with, including washing machine temperatures, bleaching recommendations, dryer restrictions, ironing temperatures, and more. It should recognize almost any laundry tag, but note that the image does need to be fairly zoomed in for the iPhone to detect the symbols.

ios 17 visual lookup laundry symbols close up
Visual Look Up is also able to detect car symbols on vehicle dashboards, so it looks like Apple has quietly added Visual Look Up support for many of the common symbols that you might come across in your day to day life.

Other features in the iOS 17 ‌Photos‌ app include pet recognition, one-tap crop, animated stickers made from Live Photos, recipe searches based on food pictures, and more. A full list of features in iOS 17 can be found in our dedicated iOS 17 roundup.

Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Next to iPhone

Here's When iOS 27 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: It's Out]

Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...
Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....

Top Rated Comments

TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️ Avatar
42 months ago
Love it! That's so cool. Such a useful feature.

Question: What about the regulatory symbols on iPhones?

MacRumors content image
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
42 months ago

Why don’t the manufacturers use plain English. I like this feature though.
Maybe it's because not everyone reads/speaks English. 🤷‍♂️
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Anappleaday29 Avatar
42 months ago
that's pretty cool
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iamgalt Avatar
42 months ago

Love it! That's so cool. Such a useful feature.

Question: What about the regulatory symbols on iPhones?

MacRumors content image


Attachment Image
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
adrianlondon Avatar
42 months ago

Love it! That's so cool. Such a useful feature.

Question: What about the regulatory symbols on iPhones?

MacRumors content image
Wash at 80°C with other portable electronics only. Tumble-dry low. 😁
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BrownyQ Avatar
42 months ago
Truly we live in the best timeline.

There was life before being able to easily identify those laundry symbols, and life after. A glorious future awaits all humanity.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)