Collections pinned to the top of the Photos app can be useful, but they often end up taking up space with items you don’t need to see constantly. For example, if you have pinned collections of old or themed albums that you no longer use, it’s best to delete them. You can easily do this by holding down the collection and selecting the “Remove pinning” option. Personally, in this section I only host my Favorites, the Map, to see the photos according to the location in which they were taken, Videos and Captures. I remove the rest of the folders and albums from here.
Also, pay attention to the albums that photo editing apps often create automatically to save processed images. Many times, these folders are not essential, and you can delete them without affecting the content of the photos. If you need to keep those images, simply move them to a custom album before deleting the folder. Leave the Albums section only for those collections of photos from trips, events, etc.
The option of Memories It’s still present in iOS 18 and can be a great tool if you enjoy automatic collections of photos related to specific events or moments. By default, the app generates videos or presentations based on locations, dates, or people. Although you can disable this feature from the settings if you prefer not to see it, we recommend leaving it active, as it adds a personal and nostalgic touch to your library, in addition to being visually attractive to the interface.
However, if you are not interested or do not use Memories, you can turn it off to reduce the number of notifications and elements in the app. This decision will depend on whether you value automatic collections or prefer a more minimalist library.
Remove Recent Days and other unnecessary sections
One of the sections that can generate the most disorder is Recent days. This shows photos that are already available in the general gallery, within the Photo Library, so it does not provide added value. By eliminating this section, you avoid visual duplication and reduce the saturation of elements on the main screen.
The same happens with the Featured Photoswhich appear at the start of the Photos app. Although they are designed to show you special moments or images that the system’s intelligence deems relevant, many people don’t find them useful or simply prefer a cleaner interface. If this is your case, you can also delete them as we told you at the beginning of the article.
Turn off People and Wallpaper Suggestions
Another option that helps simplify the Photos app experience is to disable the Photos section. People. Although it can be useful for those searching for images of specific people, not everyone needs this functionality active all the time. Additionally, iOS 18 introduces wallpaper suggestions based on your photos, which can be annoying or unnecessary if you already have a wallpaper you like set.
By turning off these options, you’ll make the main Photos app screen cleaner and less overwhelming, focused only on your essential images and albums.
Additional Tips for a More Organized Library
To make the most of the Photos app and maintain proper order, we recommend these tips:
- Create custom albums: Group your photos by categories relevant to you, such as travel, work, family, etc. This makes searching easier and allows you to quickly access the images that really matter.
- Use tags and advanced search: iOS 18’s intelligence improves search suggestions, so it’s helpful to tag your photos with keywords when renaming albums or using image description. It is tremendously effective, even without Apple Intelligence, you can search for “photos on the beach playing paddle tennis” and it will find it, it is wonderful.
- Check your library regularly: Take a few minutes each week or month to remove duplicate photos, unnecessary screenshots, or blurry images. This not only saves space but also improves the browsing experience.