Apple brings back tabs to the Photos app in iOS 26

Apple Tweaks Photos App Design in iOS 26 Following Complaints

After facing criticism for the redesign of the Photos app in iOS 18, Apple has decided to make adjustments to the app’s interface in the latest OS release, now known as iOS 26.

During the keynote at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 25), Apple announced that it would be reintroducing a tabbed interface to the Photos app, although with a new look and feel.

“Many users expressed their preference for tabs in the Photos app,” stated Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. This acknowledgment suggests that Apple may have made a misstep with the app’s previous overhaul. Federighi demonstrated the updated version of the app, highlighting the separate tabs for Library and Collections.

In the Collections tab, users can access their favorite photos, albums, and perform searches across their library with ease.

The Library tab has been revamped to allow for easier browsing of recent photos, catering to the preferences of many users.

Following the backlash from the changes in iOS 18, where all photo organization features were centralized on a single page, some third-party developers capitalized on the dissatisfaction by offering apps that restored the old user interface at a cost.

In addition to the tabbed interface update, the Photos app in iOS 26 now has the capability to convert 2D photos into immersive 3D spatial photos. This feature is prominently featured on the iPhone’s Lock Screen and draws inspiration from Apple’s Vision Pro spatial computing headset.

In a related update, the Camera app on the iPhone and iPad has been enhanced to simplify access to its various features. The app now prominently displays the two main capture modes, photo, and video, on the main screen. Users can swipe left or right to reveal additional modes such as Portrait Mode, Cinematic Mode, among others. Accessing settings like flash, timer, aperture, and more can now be done by swiping up from the bottom of the screen.

Users can also conveniently switch between formats, adjusting resolution from HD to 4K and modifying frame rates on videos with a simple tap.