Does anybody actually LIKE the new iOS 18 Photos app? [MERGED]

[MrRom92]

It seems like such a clear downgrade in every conceivable aspect. I HATE it. I surely can’t bet the only one, I imagine there is going to be some backlash once the wider public sees how it changed, when iOS 18 officially drops.
Way for Apple to ruin something that was simple and functional. Sometimes they don’t know when to stop rethinking the wheel.

 

[BELINDABEHINDME]

Agreed, it is an atrocity but I fear it’s here to stay for at least a year given the amount of work they seem to have put into ruining it.

Totally unintuitive, full of strange UI choices that are found almost nowhere else in the system (everything is a tray/sheet with an x button instead of done), and removes the ability to move back and forth between different photos on different tabs.

I can kind of understand their justification that as photo libraries grow, curation becomes more important, but I don’t think that that needs to come at the expense of actually being able to find what we need, compare photos, etc.

 

[zemaker]

The UX is definitely a downgrade. There is a lot of ambiguity as it relates to the interaction design. Not sure I like the approach Apple has been taking with hiding features behind unintuitive icons and weird swipe gestures.

 

[Jakimo]

Yah, it doesn't follow the obvious ease-of-use I'm accustomed to when it comes to Apple apps. I'm not sure what team got a hold of this, but they certainly didn't let their friends test their ideas.. I don't know anyone at all that likes it or finds it an improvement

Go figure, can't just write the small-time developer and give them feedback that will actually be interacted with =/

 

[FSMBP]

Well this is certainly alarming...This is probably their most first-party used app.

Hope it gets revised...

 

[winxmac]

The initial iteration of Safari with the bottom address bar, many people seem to have disliked, including me... Apple seemed to have received enough feedback to make some minor changes to make it what it is now... I believe the bottom address bar should have been introduced in iOS 8 back in 2014 when the iPhone 6 series was announced... I don't like the change done this late but I seem to have accepted it and live with it...

That iOS 18 Photos app, what was Apple thinking? Is there no other way to add functionality to a tried and tested design? I am hoping that they will revert to the iOS 17 and older look, but at the same time, I am expecting that they will push with the iOS 18 redesign, no matter how hated it gets... Maybe, just like the changes in Safari, Apple will make changes that will take into account the feedback of the customers and those who are brave enough to use iOS 18 beta on their main device or on a daily basis...

 

[ProbablyDylan]

It's horrible. By far my biggest complaint about iOS was how disorganized the Photos app was, and now they're doubling down on that and putting it front and center?

At least android users can skip Google Photos. Seems like we're stuck with this thing.

 

[MrRom92]

I am “the iPhone guy” - my friends and family (and I have a very wide social reach) look to me for advice on what to do when it comes to this stuff.
I’ve already told them not to update. There’s nothing in it for them, especially if they’re not even running a device that’s going to get Apple intelligence. What else is there. Text emphasis and message scheduling? Hardly worth ruining Photos and Safari over.

 

[tomtattoo]

You are not alone. Tested it on BETA iPadOs18. Just horrible.
While my hardware of Apple runs perfectly since 12 years, every software update drives me away from them.
They have the incredible "luck" to make MY usual ways of working every year at least!! one tap longer.
It is really depressing. Not to speak of wasted space, dumb new submenus (Maps) and so on.

A few years ago I was thrilled to update, now I´m just afraid.

 

[Paddle1]

The whole UI is not as nice IMO but the filters and sorting options are far more robust.

 

[ghostface147]

I’m not bold enough to get into the major iOS betas anymore, just regular beta updates after the yearly release. Since the viewing in early June, it looks awful. My camera roll is empty at the moment and routinely have pics/videos from my side hustle that I don’t want people to easily see. Right now I can do my job and then take a screenshot so the first thumbnail is the screenshot.

Based upon what I saw, it will show all pics as a giant grid. **** THAT

 

[GeneticBloom]

I don't love it but I don't think it's as bad as everyone says. It's not hard to pull down once to get into the gallery, and once you're there, it's essentially the same as previous versions. The search is definitely improved which is a plus in my eyes.

 

[bigjnyc]

I don't hate it like most people do... I don't necessarily love it either but I guess I've gotten used to it. It's fine, and it works for me, not something I've really given much thought to.

 

[LockOn2B]

I’m conflicted. I think it looks modern and more streamlined overall, so part of me WANTS to like it... Then I think about how zooming in on the edges of pictures takes 3 to 4 steps now instead of just one. So annoying.

 

[pappkristof]

I dislike it too. After trying the beta for a week I downgraded only because of the Photos.

I really hope they add a switch to use the “old” tab layout instead.

 

[Jakimo]

Wow, with this much like-minded feedback - I wonder if Apple would respond? This kind of discussion has got to be bubbling up to them..

..for me, I haven't managed to understand it yet because I haven't used it all that much yet. Maybe after really tooling with it I could manage with it, but as it sits it's entirely unintuitive

Whatever happened to the Human Interface Guidline book that came with the Apple Lisa? That was an awesome publication.. =)

 

[redbeard331]

I like it, it’s doing a lot more, it’s showing us categories for things like documents and receipts which has already helped me find things. I suspect they will tweak it as summer goes along and it will get more useful when they finally switch the ai stuff on.

 

[avro707]

It seems like such a clear downgrade in every conceivable aspect. I HATE it. I surely can’t bet the only one, I imagine there is going to be some backlash once the wider public sees how it changed, when iOS 18 officially drops.
Way for Apple to ruin something that was simple and functional. Sometimes they don’t know when to stop rethinking the wheel.

I hate it, absolutely horrible. Clunky and hard to use.

The old layout was a lot easier.

 

[tomtad]

It needs a damn bottom tab bar with frequently used functions in it.

The current page should be 'Home', and then Memories, All Photos and Search so you can easily jump into these sections. Categories go in search just like how it works in Music and Podcasts.

 

[MrRom92]

I like it, it’s doing a lot more, it’s showing us categories for things like documents and receipts which has already helped me find things. I suspect they will tweak it as summer goes along and it will get more useful when they finally switch the ai stuff on.

I wouldn’t mind these categories in the slightest if they were grouped in the old way, like the “screenshots” or “selfies” folders already were. Definitely helpful. But then you get stupid interface downgrades, or the fact that the video scrubber doesn’t even show you how long the video is anymore or at what time you are currently in the video? what time you are scrubbing to? Stupid change that’s objectively less functional

 

[tomtattoo]

"From my Mac" is not shown in the left sidebar. Stupid!

 

[spac3duck]

Absolutely not a fan but can appreciate the focus of the app being “about the photos”. However I don’t think that should downgrade the UX.

Suggestion would be to mimic the hidden list like Mail and Reminders. Helps keep all the items in an easy to read list and can be hidden most of the time unless you are specifically after something therefore maintaining the new approach of being photo orientated on the home page.

Agreed with the points above that there are some positives which are the likes of stronger search capability and the ‘Recent Days’ function is nice.

What I still don’t understand is how iOS and iPadOS can’t display the pictures within a Smart Album created on macOS. Is there some technical issue in not aware of that would prevent something like this working? (This way my folders would be dynamic and helpful overtime with the right parameters rather than a hardcoded/static album)

 

[Wizec]

Please provide feedback to Apple directly. I just did. With enough negative feedback they just might blink.

 

[contacos]

How the F do I see the hidden album like I have unhidden it but I can’t see it anywhere, nor can I see the whole list of different categories (Selfies, Screenshots, Panoramas) on iOS for that matter. Am I blind? It used to be at the bottom of the Photos app „homescreen“ before iOS 18. On iPadOS I have this whole side navigation but not on iOS

 

[fatTribble]

So I haven’t tried it because I don’t have the beta. I’ve read several articles that went into details about the new layout. What excites me about it is the customization options. There are some sections like Featured Photos and Wallpaper Suggestions that for me I’d like to hide. The new design sounds like you can customize it just to show the collections you want and in the order you want. That sounds great. I have a ton of my own Albums and being able to pin a few to that carousel sounds pretty nice.

What is it that makes it so bad? Quite a few posts talk about how bad it is but not a lot of specifics. 🤔