This one button will get your Photos in order again in iOS 26
Apple has been tinkering with the Photos app for years. It’s not necessarily getting better. This is how you bring some order back into the chaos.
In iOS 26, the original photo library is back, which is excellent. It displays all the photos you’ve ever taken, arranged chronologically, one after the other. We also have the Collections tab, and that’s where the problem lies.
In iOS 18, there was still a way to manage the large number of folders and collections on this tab. You could then control which collections were visible and which were hidden. This was a simple matter of checking or unchecking, which no longer works. There is a way to get things back in order, but it’s still a workaround.
Create more clarity in Photos
To the collections
Open the Photos app. At the bottom, you can choose between two views: Library and Collections. Tap Collections to open this view.
Collapse everything
Tap the More button (with three dots) at the top of the app. Tap “Collapse All” in the menu.
Rest
Now all collections are collapsed. Use the arrows next to the collections to expand the content you want to see.
Change order
We recommend putting the Collections you’re actually interested in at the top of the list. Tap “Change Order” at the very bottom. Use the three lines to drag the items to the correct position and close with V. Finally, expand only your favorite items.