iOS 18: How to customise iPhone's 'messy' Photos app

Apple’s iOS 18, launched in September 2024, brought a major overhaul to the Photos app, aiming to streamline photo management and rediscovery. Gone are the multiple tabs for the library, albums, and search tools. Instead, users now interact with a single, unified screen where swiping and scrolling take centre stage. This redesign aligns with Apple’s goal of helping users “get to the good stuff,” as highlighted by Craig Federighi at WWDC 2024.

What’s new in the photos app?

The updated Photos app divides the screen into two main sections:

Photo Library: This occupies the top section and provides a grid of all your photos. A toolbar allows for further organisation by year or month, and filtering options include favourites, edited images, and media types like videos and screenshots.

Collections: Below the library, Collections organise photos into categories such as “Recent Days,” “People,” and more. These categories are customisable, letting users focus on topics or events they care about most.

The redesign also introduces the "Customize & Reorder" feature, allowing users to tailor the app to their preferences. For those overwhelmed by the new layout, disabling certain collections, like “Pinned Collections” or “Recent Days,” can restore a simpler, more traditional appearance.

Mixed reactions from users

While Apple praises the redesign as a leap forward, user feedback has been polarised. Many have found the new interface cumbersome and unintuitive. On Reddit, some users voiced frustration, asking Apple to revert to the iOS 17 design. One user quipped about the recurring cycle of disliking Apple updates initially but eventually accepting them — though this time, they “just don’t see it” for the Photos app.

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