Apple says it’s fixed the awful search function for emails and photos

If you’re an Apple user who’s tried and failed to find an email you know you received, or a photo you know you took, Apple has got news for you. The company said on Monday WWDC 2026 event I realized that the search was not working well. Therefore, it was completely rebuilt.

“We’ve all had that moment where you’re looking for something that you know is there, but it won’t show up,” said Stacy Ford, vice president of operating system program management, in the WWDC opening keynote on Monday. “So, in iOS, iPad OS, and Mac OS, we’ve rebuilt the foundation of search that powers Spotlight, Photos, and Mail. At its core is the search index, a rich catalog your device creates of all your content, so it can understand what you have and where to find it.”

Ford says the company has redesigned search so that it will re-index new and old content. Perhaps most optimistically, she said the Mail app will get a new “categorization system” that will show which mail you’re looking at, whenever it’s sent.

As a long-time iPhone user, I can confirm that Apple’s new search system will work as promised. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to find an itinerary or an email about something important that my husband (an Android user) sent me, only to have the device confidently present me with an old email that doesn’t even include the terms I searched for.

And if it can help me find the image I’m looking for, hi too!