User profile for user: hal.wel
hal.wel Author
User level: Level 1
25 points

Repetitive “Memories”

I like the Memories feature, as one of the few, nice, large widgets, but I’ve noticed a) very few photos get chosen as a Memory, and b) the ones that are chosen are chosen over and over again, sometimes with a different caption but more often with the same caption, maybe in a different font but that’s the only difference. I just finished going through my Memories and deleted literally DOZENS of DUPLICATES—I’m not exaggerating, the same few photos were there 10-20 times with the same captions, perhaps different fonts only difference.


First, why all the duplicates? Second, why so few photos chosen over and over? Why can’t we select what photos we want in Memories? Is there any way to get a more diverse selection, and to stop all the duplication? Many of the chosen “Memories” are just Desktop photos I’ve downloaded—not even real memories from my photos, just memories of what I downloaded one day…!


Seems like Apple added this feature and hasn’t looked at it again since. Clearly oblivious to the problem of repeated duplicates, and oblivious to the very limited selections being made. Isn’t it about time for an update of this feature to give us a better variety—and some control?!


Even deleting the many, many dup’s was a nightmare: Can’t select more than one Memory at a time, have to select a single one, choose Delete from menu, then Confirm you want to delete it. Tedious and time-consuming: Took me almost half an hour to clean out all the duplicates (again, NOT exaggerating!).


Please, give this feature a little attention and some improvement! And if anyone knows of any way, any setting(s) to get a better variety chosen and stop the duplicates, please let me know!

iPhone 14 Pro Max

Posted on May 23, 2023 8:15 PM

Reply

Similar questions

5 replies
User profile for user: SravanKrA
SravanKrA
Community+ 2025
User level: Level 10
430,500 points

May 23, 2023 10:02 PM in response to hal.wel

The Photos app recognizes significant people, places, and events in your library, then presents them in curated collections called Memories. You can also create your own Memories, and share them with friends and family.


There could be a few intersections between people, places, and events. Hence you will find the same Photo in multiple memories. To understand this better...


Intersections between People, Places, and Events can be as follows.

In various contexts, there can be intersections between people, places, and events. These intersections occur when these three elements overlap or come together in some way. Here's a breakdown of how these intersections can manifest:

  1. People and Places: People can intersect with places when they visit or inhabit specific locations. For example, when individuals travel to a particular city, they intersect with that place by physically being there. Similarly, people can intersect with places in terms of their cultural or historical significance. For instance, someone studying ancient civilizations might intersect with places like archaeological sites or museums dedicated to that history.
  2. People and Events: People intersect with events when they participate or are involved in them. Events can include social gatherings, conferences, concerts, sports matches, or any occasion that brings people together. When individuals attend or take part in such events, they intersect with them. These intersections can result in shared experiences, networking opportunities, or the exchange of ideas.
  3. Places and Events: Places can intersect with events when specific occasions or activities occur within certain locations. For example, a music festival taking place in a park or a conference held in a convention center represents the intersection between the place and the event. The chosen venue becomes an integral part of the event's identity and experience.


iPhone Memories:

iPhone Memories is a feature available on Apple iPhones that automatically creates collections of photos and videos based on various factors such as time, location, people, and similar events. It utilizes algorithms to curate personalized slideshows or videos from the user's photo library.


The Memories feature leverages the metadata attached to photos, including date, time, geolocation, and facial recognition, to identify and group related photos and videos together. It can recognize people's faces, identify familiar locations, and detect similarities in images to create meaningful compilations.


By analyzing the intersections between time, location, people, and events captured in the user's photo library, iPhone Memories aims to provide a nostalgic and personalized way to relive past moments and create shareable content. It offers users a convenient way to rediscover and enjoy their digital memories, often accompanied by music and transitions that enhance the overall experience.


In summary, intersections between people, places, and events can occur when they overlap or come together in various contexts. iPhone Memories, a feature on Apple iPhones, uses algorithms to create personalized collections of photos and videos based on the intersections of time, location, people, and events, providing users with a nostalgic and enjoyable way to revisit their digital memories.

Reply
User profile for user: hal.wel
hal.wel Author
User level: Level 1
25 points

May 24, 2023 6:06 AM in response to hal.wel

Thanks for the info, SravanKra, but it doesn’t really help, nor answer my questions. Again, why all the duplicates? And why has Apple seemingly not updated the feature in any way since its introduction? Are there any plans to give us any more control over the content?


Your post says, “You can also create your own Memories”—but how? I’m unable to find anywhere in Memories that would let me add anything to what’s there. While we can choose photos to add to Favorites, I can’t find any menu options in the Photos library or Albums like “Add to Memories” or similar.


I have found that since I deleted the dozens of duplicates, most of the other Memories that have been going stale there for ages were finally removed by the feature and some new “memories” have been added. Apparently all the dup’s had brought to a grinding halt any creation of new memories (other than more duplicates, lol!) and clearing them restarted the “curating” process. But most of the new “memories” are just more downloaded desktops—not even my own photos. How they were curated as an “intersection” of people, times and places—when no people or places are represented in the new selections—escapes me.


Again, a simple update that would allow us to select and delete multiple memories, rather than having to do three taps over and over to delete one at a time, would be a big improvement. But the biggest improvement would be some control over which photos are included-—especially since the algorithms do such a poor job of making truly relevant choices. The supposed settings under Photos Settings are limited to whether to include holiday events, and a couple of total Reset options.


I’m not asking for major additions here: just a bit more control over what’s included, and the ability to select multiple entries to remove when lots of unwanted selections have piled up (beyond a total Reset).


Any chance Apple might give a little attention to this long-neglected feature anytime soon?


If not, please at least explain to us how to “create your own Memories.”


Thanks for your time.

Reply

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Repetitive “Memories”

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.
Learn more Sign up