iOS 18.4, which has lots of new features and updates, is presently undergoing beta testing. Users now have more options and flexibility than ever before thanks to some easy-to-miss changes to Apple’s Photos app. The improvements made to Photos in iOS 18.4 are detailed here.
- New options for filtering
In the lower-left corner of the Photos app, you may have seen an icon with two vertical arrows whenever you’re looking at a collection of photos and/or videos.
Additional sort, filter, and view options are found below this arrow icon.
Two new additions have been added to the Filter menu in iOS 18.4. Filtering is now possible by:
Shared With You
Not in an Album
Finding any image or video that matches a given description is made simple with filters. In this instance, you can filter to view only items that have been shared with you by others or that haven’t been organized into an album yet.
You can also see new filter options by tapping the Albums button and then the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner. With these improvements, you can filter to display only Folders or only Albums.
- A new option for sorting albums
Speaking of the Albums screen, iOS 18.4 also introduces a new sorting feature.
Your Albums screen now offers a third sorting option in addition to the already-available Sort by Name and Sort by Custom Order options:
Sort by Date Modified
Your albums and folders will be rearranged so that the most recently modified ones are at the top.
Another change worth mentioning in passing is the renaming of Grid and List to List View and Key Photo on the Albums interface. It’s unclear why Apple is making this adjustment because it doesn’t affect functionality and seems more confused to me.
- Disabling albums for privacy
The Photos app comes with a few albums by default that you might or might not want to see for privacy reasons.
No, not referring to the album “Hidden.” That album undoubtedly has privacy issues of its own, but talking about two more here:
Recently Viewed
Recently Shared
These albums, as their titles suggest, compile all of the images and videos you have recently viewed or shared with others.
Keeping these albums visible in the Photos app won’t be an issue for the majority of users.
However, iOS 18.4 introduces a new Settings toggle to disable them for anyone who wishes to do so, whether for privacy or other reasons.
By going to Settings ⇾ Apps ⇾ Photos ⇾ and then scrolling down to “Show Recently Viewed & Shared,” you can find this toggle. You may also turn off the “Hidden” album directly below it.
- Delete or recover images in bulk
iOS 18.4 now gives you the ability to swiftly and simply remove all of your deleted images and videos forever if you’ve ever wished to.
A new trash can button will appear when you open the Recently Deleted album, and clicking it will permanently delete everything.
On the other hand, if you would like to swiftly restore all deleted objects to your Photos library, you may also use the recently added Recover All button.