I Believe iOS 18 and iOS26 AI Collections Undermined Manual Photo Organization (www.parlamusic.com)

Apple’s Photos UI changes across iOS17 → iOS18 → iOS26 shifted the app from a clear, hierarchical, image-first layout to a visually dominant, AI-driven feed that undermines manual organization. iOS17 used a 1:10 navigation-to-content ratio with distinct album cards (large image previews, smaller album names/counts beneath). iOS18 moved text and icons onto image overlays, introduced continuous-scrolling AI collections (Memories, Trips, People & Pets) alongside user albums, and relocated Search to a smaller top-bar icon. That made labels harder to read (contrast issues for white icons over images), broke established scanning/muscle-memory patterns, and forced users to visually parse a denser, mixed feed. iOS26 restores the bottom navigation and larger search icon but preserves the AI-first card layout and bigger album cards. For the AI/ML community this matters because UI and information architecture shape how users interact with algorithmic products. Merging algorithmic groupings with hand-made albums amplifies algorithmic curation over intentional organization, increasing cognitive load and reducing predictability. Technical implications include the need for better metadata signals, explicit provenance (AI vs. human-created collections), configurable trust thresholds for auto-grouping, contrast-aware overlay rendering, and UX-aware ranking that preserves muscle-memory affordances. Designers and ML engineers should treat AI collections as orthogonal layers—not replacements—so models enhance discovery without erasing manual organization or accessibility.