Long-time iPhone users who open the Photos app for the first time after upgrading to iOS 18 are literally overwhelmed by the new UI: instead of the usual tabs and submenus, there is a long list that starts with the most recent photos and videos. Below are various filter variants that are not really self-explanatory at first. The good news: despite the many changes, the interface can be customized. However, you need to know where to do it, as Apple is taking a new approach in the Photos app, which is also available in other iOS 18 programs such as the Fitness app.
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scrolling down helps
Personalizing the Photos app can’t be achieved through a separate tab, hamburger menu, or system settings. Instead, it means scrolling all the way down. There you’ll find the new button “Adjust and Rearrange,” which says when you first start the app that you can design the Photos app “according to your ideas.” And that’s at least partially true.
If you click the button you will see a new overview list that shows blue ticks on the left and touchable arrangement icons on the right. The arrangement icons allow moving certain elements up or down – for example “Media types”, “Reviews” or the new “Pinned collections”. If you do not want to see individual elements at all – for example “Shared albums” or “Wallpaper suggestions”, you simply uncheck them and they disappear from the overview.
First, turn off everything you don’t need
These settings and adjustment options alone should help new users get the Photos app back to (almost) the way it was before – missing tabs notwithstanding. Apple had already improved clarity and completely removed a new carousel view, which only made things more confusing.
Importantly, the search function has been significantly improved – even without Apple intelligence. The Photos app can better sort content, be it invoices, screenshots or other types of media. The completely new design remains a problem, at least at the beginning – you should do it gradually and, above all, use the option to remove unnecessary fields and move the most important fields up.
(B.Sc.)
