Apple's Refreshed Photos App Is A Big Improvement - My 4 Favorite Features

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Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

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As an iPhone and iPad user, I rely connected Apple's Photos app to view, manage, and edit nan photos and videos I snap. But that hasn't ever been easy.

Apple likes to continually tweak nan Photos app and not ever for nan better. Last twelvemonth pinch iOS 18, nan institution redesigned nan app to jam each your photos and collections together connected nan aforesaid screen. That move upset galore iPhone users, including me, who complained that nan caller layout was clumsy and confusing.

Now pinch this year's rollout of iOS 26, Apple has again rejiggered nan Photos app. Clearly alert of nan complaints, nan institution reverted to a simpler and cleaner layout and added different adjuvant features. I've been utilizing nan latest type of nan Photos app for nan past mates of weeks, and present are nan 4 features I for illustration best.

You tin now easy position your photos by room aliases by collections. Open nan Photos app and swipe to nan bottom. Tap nan Library icon to position your photos successful chronological order. Swipe down connected your room and you tin past position your photos by years aliases months. Tap All to return to nan erstwhile view. Tap Collections and you tin past position nan various collections—Memories, Albums, People, Featured Photos, Recent Days, and more.

I usually position my photos by library, truthful I admit nan expertise to spot them each conscionable by swiping up and down. Plus, tapping nan Library icon brings maine to nan bottommost truthful I tin easy entree nan latest photos. But sometimes I want to spot a circumstantial album, truthful switching to nan collections surface makes that a speedy and easy process.

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View your photos by room aliases collection
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

You tin now move nan layout of nan collections surface among 3 different views. At nan collections screen, pat nan ellipsis icon astatine nan apical and you'll spot 3 icons. Selecting nan first 1 increases nan size of nan apical row. Selecting nan 2nd 1 shrinks nan apical statement but increases nan wide density of nan thumbnails truthful you tin position much of them. And selecting nan 3rd 1 increases nan size of each nan thumbnails successful each row.

Also: This iOS 26 instrumentality made my aged iPhone photos really popular - successful 3D

I typically move betwixt nan 2nd and 3rd views depending connected really galore photos I want to spot and really ample I want to make nan thumbnails. Doing this done nan paper is speedy and simple.

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Change nan layout of your collections
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

Apple did make 1 alteration to nan iOS 26 Photos app that I don't like. You tin nary longer hide a postulation arsenic you could successful erstwhile versions. I don't why that capacity was removed, and hopefully it will return successful a early update. Instead, you tin astatine slightest show aliases illness collections, either individually aliases collectively.

To effort this pinch each nan collections showing, pat nan down arrow adjacent to nan sanction of a circumstantial postulation to illness it. Tap nan correct arrow to show it again. To do this pinch each your collections, pat nan ellipsis icon astatine nan top. Tap Show All to show them each aliases Collapse All to illness them all. As always, you're capable to alteration nan bid of nan collections by tapping Reorder astatine nan bottommost of nan surface aliases successful nan menu.

I'll sometimes illness nan collections truthful I tin spot them each successful 1 shot. I tin past pat a circumstantial postulation to unfastened it.

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Show aliases illness collections
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

In past versions of nan Photos app, generating a video aliases slideshow of a postulation aliases medium was a clumsy and inconsistent process. With iOS 26, Apple has simplified this capability. Just spell to nan Collections surface and pat immoderate postulation aliases album. A Play fastener appears connected nan first photo. Tap it to footwear disconnected nan slideshow. If you want to edit nan show, region it and pat nan philharmonic statement icon. From there, you tin use a select to alteration nan look of nan show and move nan euphony to a different song.

Also: Got iOS 26? Turn connected this iPhone mounting to make your screenshots instantly amended - here's how

I've been playing astir pinch slideshows of different albums and admit really easy nan process is now. I tin not only position and tweak nan show but stock my favourite ones pinch different people. This is simply a invited improvement.

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Watch a video slideshow of immoderate collection
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

Though nan iOS 26 Photos app is missing a mates of useful features, specified arsenic nan expertise to hide a collection, overall, nan app is simply a decided betterment complete nan erstwhile version. As Apple further develops iOS 26, I'm hoping nan Photos app gains moreover much useful and friends features.

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