The iOS 18.2 update has brought significant changes to Apple's iPhone software, with a particular focus on the Photos app. This update not only introduced a suite of Apple Intelligence features but also delivered several enhancements to help users better manage their photo libraries and customize the look of their photos. Let's delve into these new features and how they can enhance your photo experience.

Unlock the Potential of iOS 18.2 in Your Photo App

How to Clear Your History in the Recently Viewed and Recently Shared Albums

In the Utilities Folder of the Photos App, there are two important albums - Recently Viewed and Recently Shared. As the names suggest, the Recently Viewed album gathers all the photos you've recently looked at, while the Recently Shared album contains images that have been shared with you or that you've shared with others. Left unmanaged, these folders can become cluttered. However, with iOS 18.2, there is a convenient way to clear out these folders when they get too full.Let's take a look at how to clear the history in the Recently Viewed folder. First, go to Recently Viewed. In the Photos App, scroll down to where the Utilities section is and tap on the arrow next to Utilities. On the ensuing screen, tap on Recently Viewed.The Recently Viewed folder displays all the photos in your library that you've looked at recently. To clear the folder, tap the More button in the top right corner. It's the circle with three dots. On the pop-up menu that appears, tap Remove All from Recently Viewed. This command will empty your folder. If you'd rather just remove individual photos from the folder, tap and hold on the photo, and in the pop-up menu, tap Remove from Recently Viewed. Don't tap Delete unless you want to remove that photo from your entire library.

How to Stop Auto-Looping Video Playback

By default, the videos stored in your library auto-loop, meaning that once you reach the end of a video, playback starts all over again. iOS 18.2 adds a way to change this behavior, but to access the control, you need to look outside the Photos app.First, go to Photos settings. Launch the Settings app and tap on the Apps section at the bottom of the main screen. Find Photos in the list of apps - they're ordered alphabetically - and tap on Photos.Scroll down on the Photos app settings to the Loop Videos control and slide the toggle to off.

How to List Your Photo Albums Alphabetically

Albums in the Photos app don't seem to be listed in any particular order, except for the order in which they were created. If you prefer a more straightforward organizational system, iOS 18.2 allows you to sort your albums alphabetically.First, go to Albums. Scroll down to the Albums section of the Photos app and tap on the arrow next to Albums.Then, tap on the More button in the upper right corner - it's the circle with three dots. From the pop-up menu, select Sort by Name. Your albums now appear listed alphabetically.And that's what you need to know about the new organizational tools in Photos as of the iOS 18.2 update. As mentioned earlier, the full iOS 18 update brought a big redesign to Photos, giving you more power over customizing the app. You can refer to our guide on how to customize Photos for an overview of what you can do.As for other iOS 18.2 changes, we can show you how to use ChatGPT now that it's integrated with Siri and how to create custom emojis with Genmoji. If you have an iPhone 16 model, we'll walk you through how to use Visual Intelligence.