Albums missing or moving in iOS 18 photos app

The reason is for tips from other users that may have experienced the same issues. That is it! Since Apple conveniently ignores these issues and doesn’t evidently want to get involved it is otherwise useless!

Sincere thanks for providing this fix, so clearly explained. I'm a pro photographer using Mac Studio desktops and iPhones/iPads. I don't use icloud, my archive is stored and redundantly backed up on Samsung SSDs. The ability to sync select albums On My Mac to mobile devices is essential. I've been delaying updating mobiles to 18 due to the profound changes to the Photos app. As a test I just updated one of the phones using your instructions and am so glad to have your fix. Photos is still a mess for many other reasons but the key issue of synced albums is again workable.

To end on a positive note I can confirm that Lightroom running on an M4 Mac Studio or the fabulous new M4 Mac Mini is capable of rendering and almost instantaneously searching a growing archive of nearly a half million high res iPhone jpg and DNG images and full-frame camera jpgs all stored on 8TB QVO SSDs. Just wish Apple would offer 2TB on new iPhones for those of us who often work in areas without cellular or wifi and who don't use iCloud for storage of large data archives.

Changes to photo app in IOS 18 are horrible! I won't "upgrade." Especially hate all the "organization" and "simplification." Please don't create idiotic "people" "pets" "trips" etc. on my behalf. It was bad enough in IOS 17, where features like this couldn't be disabled, used up storage, and created embarrassments. I'm shocked that I might lose, even partially or temporarily, the albums that I created, which are essential to my work.

author40 wrote:

I had painstakingly organized my photos into albums; now they’re one continuous mosaic. Bring back the photo albums! This is awful! Who wants to scroll through thousands of photos??

Albums were not removed.

Swipe to the bottom of the screen in Photos. Tap on "Customize & Reorder". Make sure "Albums" is ticked.

I have albums in photo app on iPhone and since upgrade when opening many of the albums it will tell me the number of photos in the album but no photos will load. They will load in the album on my MacBook

some of these include my daughter’s wedding. FIX THIS

Bullshark1 wrote:

I have also stopped using PC's because they were so fragile and fickle . I went to Apple for simplicity and functionality. Does any body think they are reading this thread and give a hoot? I think they have become too big and forgot us little people.

Apple doesn't read here in this user-to-user forum for feedback or suggestions. You can, however, let them know your thoughts here:

Product Feedback - Apple

Oh well, maybe Elon will develop a phone and it will just plain work. We can only hope.

You mean like "X" just works? It's still early but that's likely to be the funniest thing I will read today.

I figured out how to fix it and posted the instructions earlier in this thread.

Me and friends have now tested it on both PC and Mac and it works on both.

Yeah… fifteen ways to leave your lover… I prefer to wait till the first fix from Cupertino.

Did it a 2nd time and the minute you hit the "Sync this iPhone" button, all photos get deleted and it reverts back to the old iCloud backup with no Albums. The fix doesn't work for me!

Bring back photo albums. Do u realize how long it takes to arrange these pics? Find them again without albums? This is nuts…

Hidden album is home after update 18.1.1. More importantly the toggle on/off is missing from the settings under photos !! Where is it iPad 18.1.1?’

Yeah, mine disappeared and reverted back to the screwed up version. I have no idea where that"prioritize phone feature is" Didn't see it on my MacBook Pro or on my iPhone while I was doing your fix.

First off Sync your phone so you have all photos including from iCloud, back them up to the computer per the instrucvtions. Then you have to go into iCloud settings on your phone, turn off iCloud Syncing and then sync your phone with iTunes. Then do the steps, and only after they are finished come back and turn iCloud Sync back on and resync using iTunes. Then iCloud will update to match the phone. Those steps actually haven't changed. It's always kinda been a few steps to get iCloud to follow the phones priority so just use the same steps you've always used in that situation.

anthonygeo wrote:

Obviously not because I just updated to 18.0.1 and my screenshots are still not showing up in my photos.

Obviously not....what? I didn't see anything in the release notes about Photos so I'm not sure what you were expecting.

This is falling on deaf ears here. Although many may agree with your sentiment , you are preaching to the choir and Apple doesn't look at these threads. I did the same thing and it is useless. Your 81 up-votes are unfortunately also useless except for blowing off smoke and disappointment.