Apple’s latest iOS version, iOS 18, will be released in September 2024, and the Photos app is getting a whole new look. The new design will make it easier to find elusive photos while moving everything to a single screen. According to Apple, this is the biggest redesign in Photos history. Here’s a look at what you can expect.
When is iOS 18 coming out?
Like most new iOS versions, iOS 18 will be making a fall debut. You can expect it to come out sometime in September 2024. You can upgrade to iOS 18 if you use an iPhone SE (second generation or later) or an iPhone X or later model.
Are you ready for a total redesign of the Photos app on your iPhone? Is this something you’ve been waiting for, or are you dreading learning something new? The jury is still out on the user experience for iOS 18, and although we’ve gotten sneak peeks into what to expect, it’s too early to tell if users will love it or hate it.
How to prepare your iPhone for iOS 18
The most important thing you can do to prepare for iOS 18 is start decluttering your iPhone so that you have the space needed to implement all the new features available. With CleanMy®Phone, you can quickly free up space on your device by removing your digital clutter, including duplicates, blurred photos, and screenshots.
- Download and open CleanMy®Phone on your iPhone.
- Tap Declutter, then tap Scan.
- CleanMy®Phone will scan your photos and videos and sort them into clutter categories.
- Tap a category to open it.
- Go through your photos and deselect any that you want to keep. Tap on a photo to take a closer look.
- When finished, tap ‘Clean’ to delete your unwanted photos.
- Tap Delete to confirm your choice.
What's new iOS 18 Photos App
Now for the details. Here are all the changes to the iOS 18 Photos App this year.
Changes to the Photos app library view
When you open the Photos app on your iPhone, the screen will be split into two distinct sections — the Photo Library and Collections.
To view all the photos in your library, simply swipe down, and you will have access to all of your photos and a toolbar where you can view the photos by year and month. You can also filter the library based on the type of image (videos, favorites, screenshots, etc.).
Swipe right from your library to view featured photos and videos, as well as your favorites. The images featured in the Carousel change daily, or you can customize them yourself based on what you want to see.
Below the library section of the Photos home screen are Collections — where you can find specific photos based on a timeframe or topic.
The Recent Days section will include photos from today or the past week. At the top of each day, you’ll see a slideshow that highlights your best photos from that time period.
Below Recent Days, photos and videos are organized by topic — trips, people, pets, and favorite memories are included. Facial recognition will be built into this part of Photos so you can easily find photos of your favorite people. You’ll be able to customize your Collections screen by choosing the topics you want the app to feature.
Apple Intelligence
If you’re using an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, you can use Apple Intelligence to clean up your photos, create new content, and develop images of your favorite people with an AI background.
You’ll also be able to use Apple Intelligence to describe a photo or video and have the app locate it for you—very useful when you have thousands of photos in your library.
With the introduction of iOS 18, there will likely be more updates to the Photos app on your iPhone, but all of the details haven’t been released yet.
