The Photos app completely changes with iOS 18: new interface, sections, better organization, and much more

The Apple Photos app is an essential component of our iPhone usage. An app that we use daily on multiple occasions and serves various purposes, from capturing a special moment to saving a reference of a purchase receipt.

iOS 18 Download

With the arrival of iOS 18, announced during the WWDC 2024, Photos is preparing to receive the most significant update in its history, completely redesigning the way users interact with their images and videos. This new version not only changes the aesthetics of the application, but also deeply restructures its navigation and content management. Let’s take a detailed look at the new features that iOS 18 brings to the Photos app.

Interface unification: simplified navigation and organization in carousel and collections

One of the most notable changes in iOS 18 is the removal of the bottom tab bar in the Photos app. This bar has been replaced by a unified interface that consolidates all the content into a single screen.

Partially inspired by the design of the Diario app, now we can navigate through our entire photo library on a single screen, scrolling vertically to explore different sections and horizontally within them to see more content. Goodbye to having to think about which tab we have to search for content, a scroll up or down quickly puts it on the screen.

The application screen Photos is divided, therefore, into two main sections: the Carousel and the Collections. At the top, the Carousel offers instant access to the complete library of photos and videos. It is the same view that until now occupied the first tab, only visible in the upper half of the screen, unless we expand it.

If we scroll horizontally, we can access specific albums such as Favorites or Featured. These albums are constantly updated, displaying a different set of featured images in a billboard-like presentation that changes every day. Moreover, we can customize which sections appear and their position.

Below the Carousel, the Collections section automatically organizes our photos and videos by themes and dates. This section includes categories such as Recent Days, Trips, People and Pets, and other significant memories. Additionally, we have the Pinned Collections section, which allows us to keep shortcuts to the photo groups we use the most.

There are also more sections in the Utilities section. Here, in addition to hidden photos, recently deleted photos, and duplicate photos, we can now see all the photos with QR codes, all the photos with receipts, handwritten words, and edited photos, viewed or saved recently.

Customization: our photo library, at your disposal

iOS 18 takes customization in the Photos app to a new level. We can modify the main view of the library by choosing to sort the images by the most recent or by the original capture date. It is also possible to adjust the filters to show only certain types of content, such as videos or favorite photos, to stop seeing screenshots or include or exclude photos shared by other people.

Apple Intelligence also comes to Photos: smart tools for better photo management

With the integration of Apple Intelligence in the Photos app, we enjoy even smarter tools. We’re talking about the ability to remove unwanted objects from photos with a simple touch, for example.

We also talk about the creation of personalized memories and videos based on a phrase that we introduce to choose the theme and style. About better organization and management of images and much more.

iOS 18 Download

However, the update of the Photos app in iOS 18 comes to change the way we interact with our photos and videos. Combining a simplified and much more customizable interface with AI-based tools, we are facing a very substantial advancement for one of the most important apps on our iPhone. One that, in a few months, we will be able to ask something like “Create a video of the day we went to Disney and rode Splash Mountain” and let the app work its magic.