More than just a makeover: Photos in iOS 18 may even beef up security

In the fall of 2024, the Photos app will receive its biggest update ever.
Apple’s Photos and Camera apps are getting not only a redesign but also security improvements. Here’s how. This is part of a larger effort to protect popular apps from misuse. Apple claims that the Photos app is its most popular one, storing three trillion photos and videos each year. Some of this data is very personal for most users, and so it is important to prevent misuse of images. Apple spent time at its WWDC presentation, in June 2024, to promote a redesign of the Photos app powered by AI. The new features will allow users to find specific photos quickly, remove unwanted people or items, and intelligently create videos and collections. The changes to Photos in the next update go beyond the app and the images it stores. Apps from third-party developers will be re-examined to determine if they pose a privacy risk before they are allowed to request access to images. Users will be informed about what apps outside of Photos are asking permission to access. Users will be able create a sub-catalog for third-party applications to access. Users can exclude sensitive videos and images from third-party apps, even if they have “full” access. Billy Sorrentino spoke to The National, an UAE-based news publication, about the redesign. He said “rather than hunt-and-peck throughout, we have created a simple and streamlined single view photo experience based on deep Intelligence.” Della Huff is the manager of Apple’s camera and photos product marketing team. She said that “everyone has a unique workflow, so automatic customization is key.” “Customisation and deep intelligence combine to make Photos more personal.” Huff said that creators and influencers will likely find the new Photos app allows for them to create visual content faster. Apple Intelligence will be a major contributor to the new features in Photos. The latest iPhones such as the iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max can use the on-device processing for the features. Apple’s Private Cloud Compute is likely to be used by recent devices compatible with iOS 18. The Photos app will also have new features that allow you to search for photos by simply describing the image, and create albums more easily. The app will automatically create new Collections and Memories using similar photos or the date and location of their capture. Collections will be able to use new animations and sounds, and screenshots from personal photos and albums can be intelligently filtered out. The new iOS 18 is expected to be released in the fall 2024.