Apple focuses on security as Photos app undergoes major overhaul

The app manages more than three trillion images and videos a year

With Apple Intelligence, iOS 18 is expected to be one of the most important updates to the iPhone's software. Photo: Apple

Apple is increasing security measures on its key Photos application, which will undergo its most significant redesign in the upcoming iOS 18 operating system, three executives have told The National.

The app is crucial to the iPhone-maker’s ecosystem, managing more than three trillion images and videos a year, according to Apple data.

The company is ensuring that guardrails exist to prevent misuse as that will benefit broader user interaction and integration into Apple's device ecosystem, the executives said.

The safety measures extend to third-party apps that can access Photos. Apple says all apps on the App Store go through a rigorous process before they are approved as safe for use.

“We make it very clear that when an application goes and uses an API [application programming interface] for the first time, we'll inform the user exactly what that app is asking for,” Jon McCormack, vice president for camera and photos at Apple's software engineering team, said.

If an app requests for full library access, a user can "create a special little sub-catalogue" for that specific app, he said.

Meanwhile, developers will benefit from a "whole robust set" of Apple APIs, which they can use to enhance their apps, he added.

Photos is one of the most-used apps on iOS, along with Mail and the Safari web browser.

The app will receive its “biggest-ever redesign” since it was introduced in 2014 as Camera Roll on iOS 8.

The sweeping changes will come on iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and MacOS Sequoia – the first of which is to be rolled out on the next iPhones, expected to be launched in September.

The new software will be powered by Apple Intelligence, the Cupertino-based tech giant’s much anticipated foray into AI that was unveiled at last month’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

“As our features, users and libraries have grown, so has the density of the [Photos] app. So rather than hunt and peck throughout, we've created a simple streamlined single view photos experience based on deep intelligence,” Billy Sorrentino, senior director at Apple’s human interface design unit, told The National.

“Ultimately, we wanted to remove friction” in how Photos is used, he added.

The new features on Photos include the ability to find specific images more easily, filtering out screenshots and a new carousel-style display to highlight important files.

Photos will also apply a simplified, single-view grid, with months and years listed below to locate files faster, and a new Collections feature that organises media by theme or topic.

Collections is the upgraded version of Memories, which creates albums by sorting files by theme, event or people.

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Collections now comes with animations and sound effects, and the ability to create a new album by typing out a description.

“Lots of deep intelligence combined with customisation means that Photos can be more personal,” Della Huff, manager of camera and photos at Apple's product marketing team, told The National.

The new features would also be an advantage for creators and influencers, allowing them to create and post content faster, she said.

“Everyone has a different workflow and so automatic customisation is really key here.”