How to Use Photo Collections in Messages App on iOS 15 and iPadOS 15
Nov. 17, 2021If you always wanted media in your iPhone’s Messages app to get organized in a better way, iOS 15 has a solution for you. The Messages app now features photo collections to make viewing photos convenient. The collections not only keep the chats clutter-free but also display them in a neatly-designed format. If you are yet to go through this notable feature of iOS 15, follow along to learn how to use photo collections oniOS 15and even oniPadOS 15.
How to Use Photo Collections in Messages on iPhone, iPad
Photo Collections in the Messages app have a lot more functionality to them. Shared photo stacks can be forwarded, saved to camera roll, and deleted if you no longer need them. You can check out all of them step-by-step to get well acquainted with them.
Photo Collections are designed to present multiple images in a well-organized stack, making it way more convenient for you to view the cluster of images. This is pretty much like how images and videos appear on WhatsApp, except Apple’s version feels more advanced. Another interesting capability that might attract many is the convenience to swipe through all the images right from one spot. Yes, you got that right! You no longer need to scroll up and down to view a group of shared images in iMessage, although, that is still an option. This will prove helpful when you are viewing a large collection of vacation or party pictures. Plus, the feature won’t let the randomly shared images mess up the entire chat.
If you are wondering how to enable Photo Collections in iMessage on iOS 15, it’s on by default. So, no steps for this part. The moment you select multiple pictures, iMessage turns them into a pretty neat stack that you can share just like any other image.
You can simply swipe left or right to look through the images you have received in a collection. Additionally, you have the option to view them all in a neat grid.
As mentioned earlier, you can check the images out by swiping through them right from the chat. Take a look at the GIF to have a better understanding of how you can swipe through the photo collection and also view the group of images in a grid layout!
You can react (Tapbacks), forward, and even reply to a collection of photos, similar to how you can with messages. Here’s how.
Notably, when you save a photo stack in iMessage, it is automatically added to your iCloud Photo Library. Hence, you can view your saved photo collections across devices synced with the same iCloud account.
If you no longer want to keep a photo collection in the Messages app, you can delete it with ease. Here’s what to do.
iOS 15 also has a new “Shared With You” feature, which automatically saves the images and video shared with you to the camera roll. While for some it enables ease, others might not like the addition of unwanted media in their photo library. If you belong to the latter group, here’s how to turn off shared photos on iOS 15:
Alternatively, you can head to the Messages app, select the desired chat, tap on the person’s name to access more options, scroll down to find the “Show in Shared with You” option, and just disable it. You will no longer find the shared media in your camera roll.
Sharing loads of photos and videos with people is a norm now and Apple’s effort to make the process convenient is something we all can use. As someone who likes to share images with friends, this is a welcome addition for me.
That said, what’s your take on this nifty iOS 15 feature? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
An old school bibliophile who turned a tech nerd out of obsession. When he is not digging into hacks and tracking down stories that are breaking the internet, you may find him reciting poems.
