What is the 'Saved from PowerPhotos' annotation?

When you use PowerPhotos to copy or merge photos between libraries, you may notice on iPhone or iPad that it displays a “Saved from PowerPhotos” annotation in the info below the photo when viewing them in the Photos app.

Understanding the annotation

The “Saved from PowerPhotos” annotation is not part of the normal keywords or tags assigned to your photos. Instead, it’s a separate field maintained by Photos inside the photo library itself. Apple primarily intends this feature to keep track of apps that add photos to the library, such as Instagram, WhatsApp, or other third-party applications. This helps users identify where a photo came from if they don’t remember adding it themselves.

Why PowerPhotos photos have this annotation

Because Apple automatically adds this annotation to any photo that’s added to a library by any third party application, all photos that PowerPhotos copies from one library to another (e.g. during a merge operation) will receive this annotation. This is standard behavior for all third-party apps that interact with Photos libraries.

Impact on your photos

The good news is that this annotation:

• Does not interfere with searching for keywords
• Does not affect smart album filters
• Is not included in the photo’s metadata when exporting
• Does not appear in the actual image file
• Only displays within the Photos app interface

Can it be removed?

Unfortunately, there is no way to remove this annotation once it has been added by Photos. Apple does not provide any mechanism for third-party applications to prevent or remove these annotations. However, since the annotation doesn’t affect the functionality of your photos or their metadata, it’s primarily a visual indicator that can be safely ignored.