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Ask Siri About the Photo on Your Frame

Ask Siri when and where the photo on your frame was taken, bring back a memory from this day, and start a slideshow from Control Center or a widget.

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September 27, 2026 by Manuel Escrig · 4 min read
Updated October 2026

Siri answering About This Photo and Show a Memory on an iPad — About This Photo (left) and Show a Memory (right), answered by Siri.

You can now ask Siri "When was this photo taken in Photo Frame?" while a photo is on your frame, and hear the date, the place and the album it came from. Version 6.27 of Digital Photo Frame App also adds a memory from this day in an earlier year, a one-tap Play Slideshow control and an extra-large slideshow widget.

I've been building this app since 2017, and the question I hear most when a frame is in a shared room is "where was that?". Now the frame can answer it.

The short version

Say "When was this photo taken in Photo Frame?" or "Where was this photo taken in Photo Frame?" while a photo is showing.
"Show a memory in Photo Frame" brings up a photo you took on this day in an earlier year.
The Play Slideshow control starts a saved slideshow from Control Center, the Lock Screen or the Action button (iOS 18 or later).
The slideshow widget now comes in extra large on iPad.
Suggest a Name uses Apple Intelligence to title a slideshow, on devices that support it.

Ask about the photo on screen

While a slideshow is playing, ask Siri about the photo, and include the app's name as it appears on your Home Screen, Photo Frame:

"When was this photo taken in Photo Frame?"
"Where was this photo taken in Photo Frame?"
"Tell me about this photo in Photo Frame."

Siri answers with the date, the place and the album the photo came from. The same answer is available as the About This Photo action in the Shortcuts app.

The answer comes from the photo's own information. A photo without a saved location, like an old scan or an image someone forwarded you, can't tell you where it was taken. On a device with Apple Intelligence (iOS 18.2 or later), Siri can also look at the photo on screen when you ask about it.

Show a memory from this day

"Show a memory in Photo Frame" (or "On this day in Photo Frame") picks a photo you took on today's date in an earlier year and shows where and when it was taken. You can also run Show a Memory from Spotlight or the Shortcuts app.

It's a small thing, but it brings back photos you'd never think to look for.

Start a slideshow with one tap

The new Play Slideshow control starts a saved slideshow you choose once. Add it to Control Center or the Lock Screen, or assign it to the Action button on an iPhone that has one. Controls need iOS 18 or later.

All the slideshow actions are also in the Shortcuts app: Start Slideshow, Random Slideshow, Pause Slideshow, Resume Slideshow, Stop Slideshow, Previous Photo and Next Photo, plus About This Photo and Show a Memory. That's what makes a frame start by itself every morning; see iPad slideshow by day, sleep at night.

The Play Slideshow control in Control Center and the Photo Frame actions in Shortcuts — The Play Slideshow control in Control Center (left) and the Photo Frame actions in Shortcuts (right).

The Photo Frame actions in the Shortcuts app on iPhone — The same actions on iPhone.

The Saved Slideshow widget shows a saved slideshow on your Home Screen and starts it with a tap. It now comes in an extra-large size on iPad, and photos look sharper in every size. On iOS 27 there's also a tall extra-large size. Widgets need iOS 17 or later.

The extra-large Saved Slideshow widget in the widget gallery and on the iPad Home Screen — Adding the extra-large widget (left) and on the Home Screen (right).

Let Apple Intelligence suggest a name

When you give a saved slideshow a new title (Edit Title), Suggest a Name offers a few titles based on its photos. You can pick one, change it or write your own. It runs on the device, on iPhones, iPads and Macs that support Apple Intelligence.

Edit Title with the Suggest a Name button — Edit Title, with Suggest a Name.

What you need

Feature	Needs
Ask Siri, Shortcuts actions	iOS 16 or later
Siri looking at the photo on screen	Apple Intelligence, iOS 18.2 or later
Play Slideshow control	iOS 18 or later
Saved Slideshow widget	iOS 17 or later
Suggest a Name	A device with Apple Intelligence

The frame itself still runs on any iPad or iPhone with iOS 15 or later; these extras simply appear where the system supports them. More about the iPhone and iPad apps.

Frequently asked questions

What do I say to Siri?

Include the app's name: "When was this photo taken in Photo Frame?", "Where was this photo taken in Photo Frame?" or "Show a memory in Photo Frame".

Why can't Siri tell me where a photo was taken?

The photo has no saved location. Scans, screenshots and photos sent through some apps often lose it.

Do I need Apple Intelligence?

No. Asking Siri, Show a Memory, the Play Slideshow control and the widget work without it. Only Suggest a Name and Siri looking at the photo on screen use Apple Intelligence.

Does this work on Apple TV or Mac?

The Siri and Shortcuts actions are for iPhone, iPad and Mac. On Apple TV you control the slideshow with the Siri Remote; see Apple TV photo frame.

Have an idea for something else your frame should answer? Write to me.

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