Here’s How to Improve the Photos App on iOS 18 (and Fix Other Annoying New Features)
i used to be a iPhone Users since Apple launched The first model was back in 2007after all these years, I am still an iPhone user. So far I have got iPhone 15 Pro Max (Waiting for updates to iphone 17).
But I can still admit that, even after all this time, the mobile operating software that powers the iPhone isn’t entirely perfect. In fact, every new update brings at least some features or settings that are incompatible with the way I use my phone. Latest update indeed iOS 18.
Read more: 7 iOS 18 features every iPhone user should change now
Don’t get me wrong. There’s a lot to enjoy in iOS 18. For example, I’m a big fan of the new version Support RCSwhich makes texting with Android users even better. I like it and I can send it too Send SMS via satellite When I had no cell service. I’m glad I can finally Replace two lock screen buttons (Frankly, we should be able to do this for a while).
Additionally, iOS 18.2 finally brings ChatGPT to Siri and let you Create your own emojis using generative artificial intelligence.
Don’t miss it: iOS 18.2 brings major upgrades to Apple Intelligence. Here’s how to download it on iPhone
But as always, there are some things I hate about the latest iOS 18 update. If you’re like me, there’s bound to be some parts of iOS 18 you don’t like, so here are my three least favorite new features in iOS 18, and how to fix them.
For more information, check out Nine hidden iOS 18 features you should definitely know about.
Get rid of all the clutter in the Photos app on iOS 18
Well, I’ll be blunt and say that I really don’t like the overhaul Apple is giving to the Photos app in iOS 18. I understand its purpose, but it feels very confusing by default. I don’t want my main camera roll to constantly remind me of my vacation or provide wallpaper suggestions for photos and videos I don’t need.
Fortunately, Apple does give you the option to customize the Photos app according to your wishes.
When you first open the Photos app you’ll see a grid of all your photos and videos, the gallery view you’re used to, but at the bottom you’ll notice the navigation bar disappears and is replaced by your A collection of recent photos and videos as well as those of friends, family and pets.
This is what the camera roll looks like on iOS 18.
If you swipe down, you’ll continue to see random collections and albums such as Pinned Collections, Shared Albums, Memories, Travels, Featured Photos, and Wallpaper Suggestions, all of which were once located in the Albums and Recommended for You options card. Now, they’re all in one place on iOS 18, the home view. While this may be useful to some, I don’t need to see everything right away. I just want to look at my camera roll and some photo albums.
To customize the Photos app, swipe all the way down to the bottom and tap Customize and reorder. Here you can uncheck any collections you wish to hide in the main view. You can also organize the order in which they appear. I don’t need wallpaper suggestions and most other options, so I uncheck all options except Mmedia type (organize your media into videos, live photos, etc.) and Utilities (Hidden albums, recently deleted albums, receipts, documents, etc.).
You can delete or keep as many collections and albums as you like, but for me, less is better.
Of course, you will no longer be able to see the collections that Apple created for you, as well as several other albums, but if you don’t use them, it’s better to do so because you can still find them by browsing your camera roll or using the search button at the top Any photo or video you want.
This is what my camera roll looks like with all the clutter removed.
Remove all new Control Center pages on iOS 18
I use Control Center all the time to quickly connect to Wi-Fi, enable Do Not Disturb, turn on Dark Mode or Low Power Mode, and discover new songs through the music recognition controls. However, in iOS 18, Apple has expanded the way Control Center is designed, and it now features multiple pages of controls, some of which are pre-made and others that you can create yourself.
The thing is, I don’t need multiple Control Center pages – I just need one. I don’t want multiple pages to be cluttered when I can put all the controls I need on one page. But that’s not the only problem. I also find that when I try to swipe out of Control Center now, I end up accidentally scrolling the Control Center page, so I’m stuck…and annoyed.
You can see the normal control center above (left) and new page (middle, right).
Luckily, there’s an easy way to make Control Center look like it did before, with just one page.
In Control Center, you can access Control Center by swiping down from the upper right corner of the screen, swipe up to access other pages, and then press your finger on any empty part of the page. This will highlight the control – click the Delete Control button (-) in the upper left corner to delete the control and the page.
Do this for any other additional Control Center pages you have until you only have the main Control Center.
After you delete the redundant Control Center pages, you will no longer see the page icon on the left center side.
Now you will no longer be stuck on another page when you try to swipe out of Control Center. Instead, you’ll be able to exit as easily as before.
Stop accidentally triggering Siri on iOS 18.2
The Siri artificial intelligence upgrade that everyone has been waiting for is now available. iOS 18.2.
When the assistant listens to you, the edges of your iPhone screen will glow with various colors of light instead of the Siri ball you’re used to. It’s a welcome design change, but there’s one aspect of the new ChatGPT-powered Siri that’s always annoyed me.
If you double-click the bottom center of your iPhone, the “Type to Siri” feature will appear. This lets you type to Siri (instead of speaking) and bring up the keyboard at the bottom of the screen. This is a useful feature if you’re in a situation where you need to be cautious, but I always seem to accidentally enable it, especially when I’m tapping or swiping on my phone.
However, there is a way to disable Siri’s typing capabilities without disabling the assistant entirely. exist set upGo to Apple Smart and Siri > Talk and type with Siri and close Enter Siri.
Siri won’t get AI capabilities until next year.
For more information, check out How to use new iOS 18 audio features to cut through cluttered movie dialogue.
