iOS 18 features an all-new Photos app, here’s how to customize it

One of the biggest changes in iOS 18 is the all-new Photos app, which has been redesigned from the ground up. Apple says the new Photos design is meant to make it easier than ever to “find and relive special moments.”

One of my favorite parts of the new Photos app in iOS 18, however, is that it’s completely customizable.

How to change the new Photos app

When you open the Photos app, you’ll immediately see the classic Library grid, which takes up the top two-thirds of the interface. The bottom of the interface, however, is a customizable array of Collections. This includes things like Recent Days, People & Pets, and Trips, generated by Apple’s on-device intelligence.

The good news is that if you don’t like the default layout of the Photos app, you can customize it to your heart’s content.

1. Open the Photos app
2. Scroll all the way down and tap “Customize & Reorder”
3. Pick and choose the specific order of the various options and hide the ones

How to hide screenshots

One of my favorite parts of the new Photos app is how easy it makes it to hide screenshots. Like many iPhone users, my Photos library is cluttered with random screenshots that I don’t necessarily need, but I’m not quite ready to delete.

iOS 18 makes this experience more manageable.

1. Open the Photos app and swipe up to view the full photo grid
2. Tap the arrows in the bottom-left corner
3. Tap “View Options”
4. Uncheck “Screenshots” under the “Show” menu

9to5Mac’s Take

The new Photos app in iOS 18 is ambitious. After all, it’s one of the most-used apps for iPhone users.

When you install iOS 18 for the first time, you’ll likely have a knee-jerk reaction. After all, it’s the most dramatic overhaul ever to the Photos app, and the navigation structure has fundamentally changed. I highly encourage you to spend some time perfecting the design, arranging and hiding the different sections of the app as you see fit.

Once you find that perfect layout, I think the new Photos app excels. In an era when we’re taking more pictures every day, I’m glad to see a refresh to the Photos app that helps us better keep track of the things that matter most.

After all, we take pictures so we can revisit that memory in the future. The new Photos app lets you do exactly that, ensuring that your key memories aren’t lost in a sea of social media screenshots and memes.

Have you updated to iOS 18 yet? If so, what do you think of the new Photos app? Let us know in the comments.

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