How deja compares
deja vs the Photos app
Apple's Photos app already makes Memories, features photos in a widget and finds exact duplicates. deja doesn't replace it — it works on the same library — but it does something the Photos app doesn't: it hands you a whole past day to go through, and lets you clean up while you're there.
| How deja compares | deja | Apple Photos |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Relive a past day like a story, and clean up along the way | The iPhone's built-in photo library |
| Brings back old photos | Yes: a random past day or week, or the same day in an earlier year | Memories: movies with music the app assembles; Featured Photos in a widget |
| Helps you delete | Yes: mark while reliving, delete all at once | Duplicates album merges exact duplicates; deleting is by hand |
| How deletion works | One iOS confirmation per batch; Recently Deleted keeps them 30 days | Deleted photos stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days |
| Where your photos are processed | On your iPhone; nothing uploaded | On your device (Memories are made on-device) |
| Account | None | Your Apple Account |
| Platforms | iPhone (iOS 18 or later) | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
Pick Apple Photos if…
- — You want automatic movies with music and transitions.
- — You only need to merge exact duplicates.
- — You don't want another app.
Pick deja if…
- — You want to go through a whole past day yourself, photo by photo, not watch a highlight reel.
- — You want to catch blurry shots, near-duplicates and screenshots, not only exact copies.
- — You'd like a calendar of your life made from the photos you chose.
Or use both
deja works on the same library as the Photos app: what you delete in deja goes to the Photos app's Recently Deleted album, and the Duplicates album is a good first pass before you start reliving.
Free on the App Store · iPhone, iOS 18 or later
Facts about other apps checked on September 28, 2026. Prices are left out: they vary by country and change often.
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