RollmarkHow to see On This Day photos on iPhone
The Photos app builds memories on its own, and an On This Day memory can appear when your library has photos from today's date in earlier years. Where it shows depends on your iOS version. You can also search a date by hand, or use a sorting app with an On this day pile.
Coming soon to iPhone
Does the iPhone have an On This Day feature?
Photos creates memories automatically from your library: trips, people, places and seasons. Some of them are based on a date, so a memory with photos from this day in earlier years can show up. Apple has moved memories between tabs more than once, which is why people search for where it went. In recent versions, scroll down in the main Photos view, or look for the Memories collection. If you see no such memory, your library may not have enough photos on that date, or you may have to wait for the background analysis to finish.
Where do I look for memories?
Menus change from one iOS release to the next, so use search inside Photos if you cannot find the section.
- Open Photos and scroll down in the main view to the collections.
- Look for Memories, Featured Photos or For You, depending on your iOS version.
- Tap a memory to play it, or open its photos as a grid.
- Tap the heart or Share to keep it. Tap the three-dot menu to remove a memory you do not want.
How do I find photos from a certain date by hand?
Type a month and year into Search in Photos, for example June 2021, and scroll to the date. The grid is sorted by capture date, so photos from the same day sit together. Repeat for each year you care about. It takes a minute per year, and you pick the date yourself. For a quick ritual, try three years back: last year, three years ago and five years ago.
| Method | What you get | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Photos memories | A short auto-made movie or collection | Zero, if it appears |
| Search a month and year | Every photo from that period | A minute per year |
| A Shortcuts routine | A custom filter on today's date | Setup once, then one tap |
| A sorting app pile | Photos from today's date, one deck | Open the pile |
Can I automate it with Shortcuts?
The Shortcuts app can find photos by date and show the result. Building it takes a few minutes: add a Find Photos action, filter by date and run it from the Home Screen. Apple's Shortcuts user guide shows the steps for creating and running shortcuts. Many people use a small automation like this to get a daily reminder to look at the past.
Why look back at all?
Old photos get seen once and then buried. Looking at a date from three years ago gives them a second use, and sometimes a better one: you spot the one you would send to a friend, or the one worth keeping when the rest can go. It is also an easy way to start a cleanup, because the decision comes with a feeling, not a chore.
How does Rollmark use it?
Rollmark, an iPhone app in development, has a free On this day pile on its Sort tab. It lists photos taken on today's date in earlier years as a card deck. Photos from the same date also carry an On this day ribbon inside the monthly deck. A right swipe keeps, a left swipe lets go and an up swipe marks a month's best photo. Nothing is deleted until you confirm the iOS dialog. The pile is described on the sort piles page.
What should I do with what I find?
- Heart the ones worth seeing again.
- Send one to the person in it, with a line about the day.
- Put the best of the year into an album such as On This Day.
- Delete near-copies while you are there.
Is the date reliable?
Photos sort by capture date, which comes from the file. A photo saved from a message or imported from a scan may carry another date, and one taken near midnight can slip across a day. If a photo seems to be on the wrong day, its info panel shows the date and lets you adjust it. The guide on organizing photos by date explains where capture dates come from.
How often should I look?
Once a week is enough. Pick a day, open the date and spend two minutes. A fixed day keeps it a habit and not a project, and it feeds the monthly routine with the best photos already chosen.
How do I make a Home Screen widget for it?
The Photos widget can show a featured photo or a memory on your Home Screen, and you choose which album or memory it draws from. Long-press the Home Screen, tap the plus button, find Photos and pick a size. The widget shows what iOS picks, which is not always the date you want. A shortcut that opens a date search is a more direct option, and it takes one tap.
Who should I send an On This Day photo to?
The person in it, or someone who shared the day. A photo with a note about what you remember often gets a longer reply than a new photo does. Old photos have a quiet advantage: the other person has not seen them in years. If the photo includes someone who has passed, send it to the people who loved them, and be gentle with the wording.
What if my library is small?
A phone with a short history has few matches for any date. Widen the net to the whole week, or to the same month in earlier years. Search a month and year, and scroll the first week. A week gives you more material, and the habit of looking back works the same way.
Frequently asked questions
Where is On This Day on iPhone?
Photos builds memories automatically, and one can be based on today's date. Look for Memories, Featured Photos or For You, depending on your iOS version.
Why don't I see an On This Day memory?
Your library may have few photos on today's date, or Photos may still be analyzing it. Search by month and year as a fallback.
Can I search photos by date?
Yes. Type a month and year, or a date, into Search in Photos.
Does Rollmark have an On this day feature?
Yes. It has a free On this day pile with photos from today's date in earlier years.