Apple is rolling out a bunch of updates with iOS 18.4, but one area that is getting some nice tweaks is the Photos app.
It’s nothing huge, but these little changes make organizing, sorting, and managing your pics easier.
Whether you’re digging through thousands of photos or just want a little extra privacy, these updates are worth knowing about.
New Filters for Easier Sorting
Finding the right photo just got quicker. iOS 18.4 adds two new filters:
- Shared With You: Shows only the photos and videos people sent you.
- Not in an Album: Lists all pics that haven’t been sorted into an album.
When viewing collections, you’ll find these under the two-arrow filter icon in the bottom-left corner.
If you like keeping things organized, this makes it way easier to spot unsorted pics or check out shared content without scrolling forever.
There’s also a small tweak in the Albums tab. Tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, and you’ll see new filters that let you view just Albums or just Folders, which is a nice little improvement.
Sort Albums by Date Modified
Before, you could sort albums by name or custom order, but now there’s a third option: Date modified.
This moves the most recently updated albums and folders to the top, making the ones you edit often easier to find. It’s simple, but it makes sense if you’re always adding to albums.
Hide “Recently Viewed” & “Recently Shared” Albums
Apple quietly added a new setting to hide two default albums:
- Recently Viewed – Shows the last photos/videos you looked at.
- Recently Shared – Collects media you’ve sent to others.
Not everyone wants a running list of what they’ve recently looked at or shared.
Maybe you handed your phone to a friend to show them a picture, and now they can easily stumble upon everything you’ve been viewing.
Or maybe you just don’t want a visual reminder of every photo you’ve sent.
With iOS 18.4, Apple allows you to disable these albums entirely. Just go to
- Open the Settings app
- Select Apps, then tap Photos
- Scroll down and toggle off Show Recently Viewed & Shared.
It’s a small change, but it’s welcome for those who value privacy.
Bulk Delete or Recover Photos
We’ve all been there—your iPhone’s storage is running low, and you’re stuck deleting old photos one by one.
With iOS 18.4, Apple makes it much easier. Now, in Recently Deleted, there’s a Delete All button, so you can clear out everything in a single tap, which is perfect for freeing up space fast.
If you accidentally trashed something important, no problem. The new Recover All option lets you restore every deleted photo instantly.
Whether tidying up or saving memories, managing your library just got a lot simpler.
iOS 18.4 Photos Features: Small Tweaks, But Big Convenience
Nothing is groundbreaking here, but these changes make the Photos app a little smarter and more user-friendly.
iOS 18.4 is in beta now, with a full release expected in early April. If you use the Photos app a lot, these updates should make things just a bit smoother. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
