Pluck for iPhone and Mac
Something not working, or a question the answers below don't cover? Email us — a real person reads every message, and we aim to reply as quickly as we can.
For feedback, press, or anything else: hello@pluck.photos
To help us help you faster, include your device model, your iOS or macOS version, the Pluck version from Settings → About, and what you were doing when the problem happened.
It depends on how many photos and videos you have, whether they are stored on your device or in iCloud, and how much other work your device is doing. The first scan is the slow one because Pluck analyzes each item once; later scans only look at what changed, so they finish much faster.
You do not have to sit and watch it. Results appear as each stage finishes, so duplicates become available before the rest of the analysis is done.
Scanning pauses when Pluck is in the background and resumes when you come back. Low Power Mode, a hot device, and a low battery also slow it down on purpose so Pluck doesn't take over your phone. If the progress hasn't moved at all with Pluck open and on screen for several minutes, force-quit the app and reopen it — your finished work is saved, and the scan picks up where it left off. If it's still stuck after that, email us.
Two things to check. First, in Photos' privacy settings, make sure Pluck has access to your full library rather than a selected set. Second, check Pluck's media-source setting: by default Pluck analyzes what's already on your device, and photos stored only in iCloud are skipped until you allow iCloud media. See the next question.
If most of your library lives in iCloud, only the on-device portion is analyzed until you turn on iCloud media in Pluck's settings. Turning it on lets Pluck download your own photos and videos from your own iCloud account through Apple's Photos framework — it does not send them anywhere else. Expect it to use network data and take longer, so it's best done on Wi-Fi and while charging.
Yes. Pluck never deletes anything on its own. You review and approve, then the system asks you to confirm, and only then do items move to Recently Deleted in Photos, where they generally stay recoverable for 30 days. Nothing is erased immediately, and nothing is deleted in the background.
Open Photos, go to Albums → Recently Deleted, select the items, and choose Recover. If it's been longer than 30 days or you emptied Recently Deleted, Pluck cannot bring it back — restore from a backup if you have one.
Pluck's pick is a starting point, not a verdict. Every group lets you choose a different keeper, keep more than one, or skip the group entirely. If you're seeing picks that feel consistently wrong, we genuinely want to know — email us and describe the kind of photos it's getting wrong.
Pluck Pro is a one-time purchase that unlocks the Pro features permanently. There is also an optional yearly plan for people who prefer that; both unlock exactly the same features. No subscription is required to use Pluck.
Open Pluck's settings and tap Restore Purchases. Make sure you're signed in with the same Apple Account you bought Pro with. Purchases restore across your devices through Apple, so buying on iPhone unlocks Pro on Mac with the same account. If a restore doesn't work, email us and mention the Apple Account email you purchased with — we can't see your purchase, but Apple's receipt will tell you.
Apple handles all payment, billing, and refunds for App Store purchases — we can't issue a refund directly. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com. To cancel the yearly plan, open Settings → your name → Subscriptions on iPhone, or the App Store menu on Mac. If you're on iPhone and allowed notifications, Pluck also reminds you on-device about a week before it renews.
No Pluck server receives your photos or videos. Analysis runs on your iPhone or Mac using Apple's on-device frameworks. Pluck has no accounts and no sign-in. The Privacy Policy lists every exception in full — including the approximate, rounded coordinates used to name places for album suggestions.
Yes, and it's the fastest way for us to fix a hard bug. Pluck can produce a diagnostic file from its settings, and it leaves your device only when you choose to share it. It describes what the app did, not the contents of your photos.
Bug reports, feature requests, and questions are all welcome at the same address: