One incredibly useful trick to find any photo on your phone fast

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You might remember when you’d only snap a few photos for fear of wasting film. Those days are long gone. Reports indicate people worldwide snap an astounding 1 trillion images a year.

You probably have thousands of images stored on your smartphone. I don’t know what this says about me but I have 26,954 photos in my cloud account.

This number is after I dumped the duplicates. Don’t stress how to do it. Tap or click for easy ways to find and delete all your duplicate photos.

Speaking of photos, so many people want to use Photoshop. The problem is that it’s pricey and has a steep learning curve. Tap or click here for a great photo editing program that works like Photoshop but it’s completely free.

If phones came with a manual, what you’re about to learn should be in the first section.

Apple's new iPhone 11 Pro Max is seen above. (Getty Images)

How to uncover an image on your iPhone

Sorting through all the photos in your gallery is a pain, but it doesn't have to be. A few quick, easy steps are all it takes to locate the photo you’re looking for.

Open the Photos app and tap on the magnifying glass icon in the lower right-hand corner.
Enter the name of a place, a person (if you’ve assigned them in the Photos app) or search terms like an event or object. Think “Hawaii,” “Kim” or “Studio.”
You can also search by date (month or year), category or business name.

Your phone uses facial recognition, along with scene and object detection, to populate and display the photos that match your search. Try this with a few different search terms to see how well your phone performs. I bet you’ll be surprised.

EXPERT ADVICE ON THE GO: You can Google anything, but you can’t Google trusted advice. Get my daily tech know-how straight to your inbox. Tap or click here to sign up.

If you’re still having trouble, adjust your search term. Maybe “puppy” isn’t cutting it, but “dog” may bring up photos of your furry friend. You can further refine your search by using multiple keywords.

How to find a photo on Android

The Android photo app is easy to find what you’re seeking. Search using a variety of terms and the photo gallery will bring up any associated images.

Open the Gallery app, then tap the magnifying glass icon toward the top of the page.
Enter your search term to display matches.

How to locate an image with Google Photos

As you might expect, Google Photos’ search is robust.

Open the Google Photos app and type your search term in the search bar at the top of the page.
The app will begin to display correlated images before you even finish typing.

Keep in mind, you’ll need to use the backup setting to search on Google Photos or any other cloud storage option. Without syncing your device, your search will not include any photos you’ve taken recently. Just sync everything, then start your search.

RELATED: Get more out of your searches. Tap or click here for 15 Google pro tips you’ll wish you already knew.

Tips to make your search even easier

If your photos are one big mess, turn to your phone’s built-in organization. These tools include default folders based on dates or type, like videos, panoramic shots and selfies.

It also helps to create personalized photo albums based on your favorite subjects, locations or people. Be sure to label images with unique names and dates.

Even if your phone has a ton of storage space, you need to back up your photos. Cloud storage keeps your memories safe and gives you one central hub for the pictures stored on all your devices. Tap or click for options for amateurs and pros alike.

BONUS TIP FOR EXTRA KNOW-HOW: Find out which apps are draining your phone battery

If you own a brand new phone but notice the battery seems to drain quickly, don’t assume you need to exchange it. Sometimes the true culprits are right under your nose — all those apps you use.

Some are worse than others, and if you’re always using these battery killers, your phone won’t last nearly as long as you want. Learn why apps drain so much power and the steps to change your battery usage settings.

Tap or click here to get more life out of your smartphone.

What digital lifestyle questions do you have? Call Kim’s national radio show and tap or click here to find it on your local radio station. You can listen to or watch the Kim Komando Show on your phone, tablet, television or computer. Or tap or click here for Kim’s free podcasts.

Learn about all the latest technology on The Kim Komando Show, the nation's largest weekend radio talk show. Kim takes calls and dispenses advice on today's digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks. For her daily tips, free newsletters and more, visit her website at Komando.com.