iOS 18 Photos App Collection Views Explained

Apple’s iOS 18 introduces the most significant overhaul to the Photos app to date, replacing the traditional bottom tab bar with a unified, single-screen layout. Beneath the main photo grid, the app now automatically organizes your library into curated "Collections." This guide outlines the core collection views introduced in the redesign, highlighting how each organizes your images and streamlines navigation.

Recent Days

Recent Days organizes your recent photos by date, presenting a clean, day-by-day narrative without the clutter of duplicates, receipts, or accidental screenshots. You can swipe horizontally across individual days to browse highlights, while integrated sharing options make it easy to distribute an entire day’s worth of photos at once.

Trips

The Trips collection automatically identifies and aggregates travel experiences. By analyzing location metadata and the timing of your photos, iOS 18 compiles vacations, weekend getaways, and day trips into distinct travel albums. Users can view these journeys as dedicated highlight reels or browse through individual stops on an interactive map.

People & Pets

Building on the previous "People" album, People & Pets elevates facial recognition for both humans and domesticated animals. This collection groups photos of your favorite individuals and pets into dynamic hubs, making it simple to find photos of specific family members or view how friendships have evolved over time.

Pinned Collections

Pinned Collections provides quick-access shortcuts tailored to individual user preferences. You can customize this section to hold your most frequently visited categories, such as Favorites, recently saved items, specific albums, or custom searches, keeping essential media readily accessible right beneath the primary grid.

Memories

The updated Memories collection relies on improved on-device machine learning to generate thematic slideshows complete with transitions and music. In iOS 18, users can also use natural language search queries to generate specific memories on demand, such as "biking trips in the mountains" or "cooking dinner with friends."

Featured Photos presents an algorithmically chosen selection of the best-composed, high-quality images from your library. This collection rotates dynamically throughout the day, surfacing forgotten shots, portraits, and scenic views directly on your main screen.

Media Types and Utilities

Located toward the bottom of the interface, the Media Types and Utilities collections house technical and organizational categories.

  • Media Types: Automatically filters assets by format, including Videos, Selfies, Live Photos, Portraits, Panoramas, and Spatial Photos.
  • Utilities: Helps manage administrative items, offering dedicated folders for Receipts, Handwriting, Documents, Illustrations, QR Codes, and recently edited or hidden files.