Photos app: Hope for iOS 18.1 – but only with Apple Intelligence
Apple's currently controversial Photos app on the iPhone will soon be getting an update. The beta shows nice new features that can be expected with iOS 18.1.
Apple's Photos app has been significantly revised in iOS 18. Not all of the new features are available yet.
(Image: Apple)
Rarely have there been so many complaints about an update to the Photos app on the iPhone as this year: with iOS 18, Apple made numerous changes to its central media library for images and videos. The changes to the interface were particularly annoying for users. With iOS 18.1, which is expected later this month, things could get better if Apple wants them to. However, presumably not in the EU, as the new features are all related to Apple Intelligence, which Apple is holding back in this country for regulatory reasons.
Thanks to Apple Intelligence: better search and more
The search function in the Photos app is set to improve with iOS 18.1 thanks to Apple Intelligence, according to beta testers. You should be able to make free(er) search queries such as "Bernd in white T-shirt in front of the town hall" or "Manuela with hat" (in English, of course, as German will not be supported until next year).
The app achieves this thanks to generative AI and intelligent indexing of the photo corpus. The queries run entirely on the local iPhone. "You can ask for really specific things," says Apple. Incidentally, this not only applies to photos, but also to videos, in which you will be able to find suitable locations directly – if it works, it will be quite magical.
Custom memories and AI editor for images
Apple is also introducing the new AI-supported memory function in iOS 18.1, which compiles memories from photos and videos. You can also make specific requests here, which can be in a sentence context. "Using language and image understanding, Apple Intelligence selects the best photos and videos based on [the prompt], creates a story with chapters based on the themes identified from the photos, and arranges them into a movie with its own story arc," says the company.
Finally, the Photos app will also have an edit function that can intelligently remove parts of images. These must be marked beforehand. It is also possible to pixelate people or parts of the image. This often worked well in the beta, but sometimes it also went wrong. It is interesting that image areas are also offered for removal in advance – they are marked with the Apple Intelligence overlay.
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