iOS 18’s Photos app got a lot better when I made this one quick fix

Source: https://9to5mac.com/2025/03/21/ios-18s-photos-app-got-a-lot-better-when-i-made-this-one-quick-fix/

Summary

iOS 18's updated Photos app initially caused frustration due to sluggish performance from AI-powered indexing. Many users experienced lag and battery drain. The simple fix involves temporarily disabling background app refresh for the Photos app in settings. This reduces the strain on the iPhone's processor and memory, resulting in a noticeable improvement in performance, allowing users to enjoy the new features. The article highlights the importance of user feedback, balancing features and performance, and addressing resource consumption concerns with AI integration in mobile apps.

Full News Report

Here's the article: **iOS 18’s Photos App Got a Lot Better When I Made This One Quick Fix** **Cupertino, CA –** The release of iOS 18 has brought a wave of excitement and anticipation to iPhone users worldwide, promising a slew of new features and improvements. Among the most anticipated updates is a significant overhaul of the native Photos app. While many reviewers and users have lauded the advancements in organization, editing capabilities, and AI-powered features, some early adopters have encountered initial friction. However, one simple fix appears to resolve a common frustration reported across multiple platforms, drastically improving the overall user experience. This article delves into the specific issue plaguing some users after upgrading to iOS 18, the quick and easy solution that addressed it, and the broader implications for Apple's ongoing commitment to user-centric design. This discovery highlights how even the most carefully crafted software updates can benefit from user feedback and simple adjustments. **The Initial iOS 18 Photos App Euphoria – and the Underlying Frustration** The initial reactions to the iOS 18 Photos app were largely positive. Apple showcased a range of exciting new features, including: * **Enhanced AI-powered organization:** Improved facial recognition, object detection, and scene analysis, allowing for more accurate and automated album creation. * **Advanced Editing Tools:** New and refined editing tools, including more granular control over color, contrast, and lighting, bringing near-professional capabilities to the palm of your hand. * **Collections & Grouping:** Smart collections that automatically group photos based on themes, events, or people, simplifying the browsing experience. * **Seamless Integration with iCloud:** Enhanced cloud syncing ensuring all your photos are readily available across all your Apple devices. However, as users began to populate the updated Photos app with their extensive libraries, a recurring problem emerged. Many users reported sluggish performance, noticeable lag when scrolling through large albums, and increased battery drain. The joy of the enhanced features was quickly overshadowed by the frustration of a less-than-smooth user experience. This was particularly noticeable for users with older iPhone models or those with significantly large photo libraries. The promise of a better photo experience was quickly replaced by the reality of a laggy and frustrating one. **The Culprit: Background Activity and Indexing** The primary culprit behind the performance issues seemed to be related to the intensive background activity required for the new AI-powered features. The Photos app in iOS 18, upon initial installation, undertakes a comprehensive scan and indexing process of your entire photo library. This process analyzes each image to categorize it, identify faces, detect objects, and create metadata for the new smart album features. While this indexing is essential for the advanced functionality, it can place a significant strain on your iPhone's resources, leading to the reported performance problems. This background activity isn't unique to the iOS 18 Photos app. Similar processes occur when updating operating systems or installing software that heavily relies on data analysis. However, the sheer volume of data in the average user's photo library, combined with the complexity of the AI algorithms, exacerbated the issue in iOS 18. **The Quick Fix: A Simple Toggle that Makes a Huge Difference** The solution, as it turned out, was surprisingly simple: **temporarily disable background app refresh for the Photos app.** This seemingly minor adjustment significantly reduced the strain on the iPhone's processor and memory, resulting in a noticeable improvement in performance. Here's how to implement the fix: 1. **Open the Settings app on your iPhone.** 2. **Scroll down and tap on "General."** 3. **Tap on "Background App Refresh."** 4. **Locate "Photos" in the list of apps.** 5. **Toggle the switch next to "Photos" to the "Off" position.** **Why Does This Work?** Disabling background app refresh prevents the Photos app from constantly scanning and indexing your photo library in the background. By limiting the app's background activity, you free up valuable processing power and memory, allowing the app to run more smoothly when you're actively using it. It's important to note that temporarily disabling background app refresh *might* slightly delay the initial indexing process of your photos. However, the improvement in overall performance, particularly when scrolling through albums or using editing tools, is well worth the minor inconvenience. After a few days, once you notice the app performing smoothly, you can re-enable background app refresh for Photos if you desire. The initial intensive indexing process will likely have been completed by then. **The Impact: A Renewed Appreciation for iOS 18’s Photos App** The impact of this simple fix was immediate and significant for many users. The sluggish performance vanished, scrolling became smooth and responsive, and the overall user experience was drastically improved. This allowed users to finally appreciate the innovative features and enhancements that iOS 18 brought to the Photos app. Before the fix, some users were considering downgrading to a previous iOS version due to the frustration caused by the poor performance. Now, they are able to enjoy the benefits of iOS 18 without sacrificing usability. **Broader Implications and Related Trends** This experience highlights several important trends and considerations for Apple and the broader tech industry: * **The Importance of User Feedback:** Even with extensive testing, software updates can sometimes exhibit unexpected behavior on certain devices or configurations. User feedback plays a crucial role in identifying and addressing these issues. This case underscores the value of Apple's beta testing programs and the importance of listening to user complaints and suggestions. * **Balancing Features and Performance:** As software becomes more complex and feature-rich, it's essential to strike a balance between functionality and performance. Apple needs to ensure that new features don't come at the expense of usability, particularly for users with older devices. This quick fix underscores the importance of optimized code and resource management. * **AI and Resource Consumption:** The increasing reliance on AI algorithms in mobile apps raises concerns about resource consumption and battery life. Developers need to be mindful of the impact of AI-powered features on device performance and optimize their code accordingly. This will likely be an ongoing challenge as AI becomes more integrated into mobile experiences. * **The Evolving Mobile Photography Landscape:** The Photos app update is part of a broader trend toward more sophisticated mobile photography tools. Smartphones are increasingly capable of capturing and editing high-quality images, blurring the lines between professional and amateur photography. Apple's commitment to improving its Photos app reflects this trend and its desire to empower users to create stunning visual content. * **Privacy Considerations:** The advanced AI features in the Photos app raise privacy concerns. Users need to be confident that their data is being handled responsibly and that their privacy is protected. Apple's strong stance on privacy is a key differentiator and a crucial factor in maintaining user trust. **The Future of iOS 18 Photos App and Beyond** Apple will undoubtedly continue to refine and improve the iOS 18 Photos app in subsequent updates. Further optimizations to the indexing process, improved resource management, and enhanced user feedback mechanisms will likely be implemented to address the remaining performance issues and enhance the overall user experience. This quick fix provides a temporary solution for users experiencing performance problems with the iOS 18 Photos app. By temporarily disabling background app refresh, users can enjoy the benefits of the new features without sacrificing usability. As Apple continues to improve the app, the future of mobile photography on iOS looks brighter than ever. The advancements in the iOS 18s Photos app show significant improvements in a lot of different areas, but simple tweaks can sometimes make all the difference. Users are now able to see a significant improvement in the app.