iOS 18.1 is coming later this month, bringing with it a host of new features for iPhone users, particularly through Apple Intelligence. iOS 18.1 brings three AI-powered updates to Apple Photos that will make the app better than ever. Here's what happens next.
Clean Up for Removing Unwanted Objects
iOS 18.1's Clean Up feature helps you get your photos a little closer to perfection, especially if they contain something out of place.
iOS 18.1 adds a new Clean Up tool to the Photos app's editing screen.
Cleanup offers a variety of easy methods for removing unwanted objects from your photo. According to Apple's in-app instructions:
Tap, paint, or circle what you want to remove. Pan and zoom with gestures.
I've used object removal tools before, but I particularly like Apple's implementation because of its simplicity.
For example, when you enter Cleanup mode, Apple highlights the objects it suggests you should remove with a glow similar to Apple Intelligence. This glow means you can simply tap to remove them.
But if you want finer control, you can brush or circle, and pinch to zoom in as needed.
Search that works better than ever
Our photo libraries are constantly growing, so having a proper search feature is more important than ever.
In iOS 18.1, Apple Intelligence is updating the search feature in the Photos app.
You can now use natural language to search your library, and in my experience with the beta, it works really well!
Not only will the app find photos more accurately than before, but you can also search for specific moments within a video and the app will find them.
Over the years, the Photos app's clunky search has taught me to search for very general things. But in iOS 18.1, it's better to be more specific. For example, Apple says:
You can search for really specific things, like “Maya skateboarding in a tie-dye shirt” or “Katie with stickers on her face.”
Creating Custom Memory Movies
One of my early favorite features of iOS 18.1 was creating Memory movies.
I don't usually use the Memory feature in Photos very often. It's great for special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries, but otherwise I'm usually not interested in the videos offered.
With iOS 18.1 and Apple Intelligence, you can now get custom Memory movies tailored to your exact needs.
Using Apple Intelligence to create a photo Memory in the iOS Photos app… Wow, this is some next-level animation 🤯 pic.twitter.com/3FHbdiAUbd
— Apple Design (@TheAppleDesign) July 30, 2024
Best comment by walf
None of these “Improvements” make up for what was removed in iOS 18.
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As in With the new natural language search, you can be very specific here. The more specific, the better. And if Apple Intelligence doesn’t get it right the first time, you can try again or update your query.
iOS 18.1 Photos App Review
Apple recently made big changes to the Photos app in iOS 18. But those updates mostly focused on the design of the app, not its functionality.
iOS 18.1 keeps the new design of the Photos app, but adds key Apple Intelligence features that make the app better in meaningful ways. If you’re an avid Photos user, these features are a compelling reason to upgrade to iOS 18.1 ASAP.
Have you tried any of the Photos features in iOS 18.1? Which one do you like the most? Let us know in the comments.
