I hate the new Photos app in iOS 18

When Apple launched nan iPhone 16 line, it besides released iOS 18 to nan masses aft months of betas. Though nan biggest characteristic of iOS 18 is Apple Intelligence, which didn’t really motorboat until nan iOS 18.1 release, location are plentifulness of different things that iOS 18 brings to nan table. That includes RCS messaging, much home surface customization, a revamped Control Center, and more.

One app that sewage a important redesign successful iOS 18 is nan Photos app. After astir a decade of mostly nan aforesaid creation and what I would telephone musculus memory, nan caller Photos app is, well, rather jarring — and I’m not a fan.

The caller Photos app is messy

The aged Photos app Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

For years, nan Photos app was neatly organized, and nan tabbed sections made it easy to find what you needed. The main tab was nan Camera Roll, and past you could spell to different conception to position by year/month/day. There was besides a conception conscionable for searching.

Then location was nan For You page, which was nan slightest utilized surface — astatine slightest for me. This was wherever you had Apple Photos’ curated postulation of photos, memories, images, and videos shared pinch you, arsenic good arsenic different things that nan app thought you would like.

I’ll beryllium honorable pinch you —I hardly utilized that section. Unless I was emotion nostalgic, I chiefly utilized nan Photos app to position my caller photos, videos, and albums, search, and make screenshots for work. And it worked well!

The Photos app successful iOS 18 Digital Trends

However, iOS 18’s redesigned Photos app shoves nan For You worldly down your pharynx by default. The tabbed sections to abstracted everything are gone, and now everything is fighting for your attraction erstwhile you unfastened up Photos. Scroll up to position your Photo Library, and scroll down to spot everything else.

Apple seems focused connected pushing nan memories spot a small excessively much, arsenic nan default bid has Recent Days, Memories, and Trips successful nan apical 5 sections. I’m judge that for immoderate people, reminiscing down representation lane is nice, but for me, I request speedy entree to definite photos and albums I person (i.e., my Disneyland Magic Key pass).

The Photos app successful iOS 18 Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

Unfortunately, Apple seems to deliberation that group don’t usage nan albums because they’re astatine nan bottommost of nan default order. In nan first fewer days of having iOS 18 installed, it was very irritating erstwhile I couldn’t quickly find my Disney medium to propulsion up my Magic Key walk to scan successful for parking and to nan park.

A fewer days later, I discovered that, yes, you tin customize your Photos app conception bid to immoderate you’d for illustration and moreover hide definite things you don’t want astatine all. But Apple didn’t make this very easy to find — it’s virtually each nan measurement astatine nan bottommost of Photos’s now singular screen, truthful you person to sift done each nan fluff first.

More customization, but astatine what cost?

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

I’ve been asking for much customization options for iOS for years, but I ne'er wanted nan Photos app to person a sizeable redesign.

Once you customize it successful a measurement that useful champion for you, it’s not arsenic bad arsenic nan default setup. But location are still immoderate annoying parts astir it. For example, I thin to usage nan Media Types and Utilities options rather a bit. But Apple has made it truthful that they only show 4 of those astatine a time, truthful you now person to swipe horizontally to position them all.

Even if you region each nan different categories, these 2 still only show 4 astatine a time. I deliberation it would person been amended if nan database of categories could person been expanded a spot if you had hidden each nan different sections.

I’m besides a spot amazed that Apple decided to move nan hunt action each nan measurement to nan top, which is difficult to scope if you usage your instrumentality one-handed. Again, having tabs was nan champion measurement to spell astir this, but successful nan existent state, possibly moving it betwixt nan Photo Library and Collections could person worked.

I do admit being capable to customize what I want to spot successful Photos, sure. But erstwhile you want rather a fewer of nan sections available, scrolling done everything is conscionable annoying. Tabs for these kinds of things worked overmuch much efficiently successful nan aged Photos app, and I miss them.

A poorly executed redesign

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

It’s been respective weeks, truthful I’m slow adjusting to nan caller iOS 18 Photos app, but it’s acold from my favorite.

There’s nary arguing that iOS 18 has been 1 of Apple’s biggest package releases successful years, and while I admit each nan caller features, it’s not Apple’s champion work. For example, nan process of updating my location surface and Control Center setups was incredibly tedious, and nan Photos app conscionable adds to my frustrations pinch nan package update.

Of course, I highly uncertainty that Apple will return to nan aged Photos design. It didn’t revert to nan aged location and fastener surface wallpapers aft making it a full symptom successful nan butt pinch iOS 16. As such, I’m not expecting Apple to alteration nan Photos app truthful soon aft this awesome redesign.

I conscionable dream that Apple tin astatine slightest make it, well, not truthful unspeakable successful early updates.