iOS 18.2 Fixes One of the Most Annoying Aspects of the New Photos App

Apple introduced a completely new interface to its Photos app with iOS 18, which has looked pretty much the same for years. Unsurprisingly, while some users love the update, others are still reluctant to embrace the new app. But there was one very annoying aspect of the new Photos app that Apple finally fixed in iOS 18.2.

Apple changes the video player in the Photos app in iOS 18

In the third beta of iOS 18.2, which was released to developers on Monday, Apple made a small but important change to the Photos app’s video player. In previous versions of iOS 18, videos appeared with white borders around them, and users had to tap the screen to watch them full screen. Now, videos always play full screen, just like in older versions of iOS.

The new video scroll bar and playback controls are still there, but the white space around videos is gone. Now, tapping the screen simply hides and shows the interface buttons, as it did before iOS 18.

Personally, I've never been a fan of the new video interface in the Photos app in iOS 18, so I'm glad Apple is changing it. Considering the company is reverting back to the old design, it seems like more people were unhappy with this aspect of the Photos app.

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Ultimately, this whole thing reminds me of how Apple tried – and failed – to introduce a major redesign of Safari and eventually reverted to the classic interface after a lot of complaints.

I'm not sure I'd say “unsuccessfully” with such confidence here. You don't have data on whether more or fewer users are using the Safari redesign now. They just brought back the option to revert to the classic interface. It's effectively the default.

I, for one, saved the new interface and never looked back. It's much easier to access the URL bar, web tools, and switch tabs without having to reach to the top of the phone.

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Since the first beta of iOS 18.0 was released in June, Apple has made many changes to the Photos app based on feedback from users and developers. The app is now fully customizable and its internal navigation has been completely redesigned, which has caused some users to dislike the interface as they find it too confusing.

The Photos app in iOS 18.1 (left) and iOS 18.2 (right)

During the development of iOS 18, some other, more drastic changes were also scrapped, such as the highlighted carousel, which was removed in iOS 18.0 beta 5. In the end, this whole story reminds me of how Apple tried and failed to implement a major redesign in Safari and eventually returned to the classic interface after numerous complaints.

It's worth noting that iOS 18.2 will be released to the public in December.

What do you think of the new Photos app in iOS 18? Let us know in the comments section below.