Pinch to zoom out, iPhone Photos app

Pinch to zoom out, iPhone Photos app

Is anyone else having this problem, I can zoom out of the grid view of Library, but only so there's 5 on each row. I want to really zoom out so I can see more like a year at one go. If I go into Collections, then Media Types, I can zoom out, but that's restricting me, I'd like to do that in the whole of the Library.

Have they change this for some strange reason?

iPhone 16 Pro

Posted on Jan 30, 2026 7:31 AM

Reply
13 replies

Jan 30, 2026 9:06 AM in response to slaterk

It looks like you're using iOS 26-- what is the actual version number?


Have you tried a forced restart? 

Force restart iPhone - Apple Support

This is different from a simple Power Off. I had to continue holding the button down past the "slide to power off" message, and then I released the button only after  the Apple Logo appeared indicating a re-start. 

Jan 30, 2026 9:56 AM in response to slaterk

slaterk wrote: … 26.2.1 ... is that what you mean? I had put that but only further down my reply :)

oops-- missed it. I have a 16 at 26.2 (with a message to go to 2.1)

Just did a force restart (had restarted before), and still no joy - will only let me zoom out to 5 pics per row

Drat! How about storage? At Settings>General>iPhone Storage, what does it say? For instance, mine says 59.64 GB of 128 GB used. Do you have at least 10% of your storage free?


Are you using iCloud Photos? Do you use Optimize Storage?


I have not heard of anyone having a similar issue…



Jan 31, 2026 10:52 AM in response to ivycm99

I don't want to downplay the weirdness of this new limitation, but I've got to say that I never use Library like that. I use Folders and albums to keep my pictures organized and easy to find. My pictures are organized like this:

Each year is a folder that has albums and folders inside. For earlier times, my year folders are inside decade folders. There's also a folder for folders with albums organized by topics like Music or Horses or Flowers or My Brother's Family, etc. So a picture of my niece riding a horse in 2019 might be in three different albums in three different folders. Putting a picture in several albums doesn't take up any more storage, and that organization makes it way easier to find the picture I want.


But it's still weird that we can't see more pictures at once in Library. Seeing more pictures in a window in the Library, with way more pictures, seems more important than in collections…

Jan 31, 2026 11:37 AM in response to slaterk

Same issue here. iOS 26.2.1 on iPhone 17 pro. No longer possible to zoom out in the library view down to the very small pictures showing per different years.


Why was this changed? The iPhone has a high resolution display, so this feature was always very useful to quickly zoom through photos from different years.


In 26.2.1 it now takes ages to find a photo from a certain year quickly.


Looks like a bug for me, introduced in iOS 26.2.1. Hope this gets fixed soon.

Jan 30, 2026 7:43 AM in response to slaterk

In Library, in iOS 26, you can have 1 across, 3 across, 5 across, maybe 15 across (hard to count) or a zillion across, like this:

In the 15 across mode you see months. In the zillion across you see years. It lets you get to the year you want, and then you can expand to get the month, if you like, and then see the pictures. Of course, you can use the Years or Months views, but I don't really like those.


You didn't let us know what iOS you're using-- image is from iOS 26. Do you not get these views? What iOS are you on?

Jan 30, 2026 8:50 AM in response to Richard.Taylor

Hi Richard,


Thanks, but yeah I don't get any more than 5 across, see the screen grab - I can tap Zoom Out until I get 5 per row, but then once 5 pictures on the row has been achieved, the Zoom Out option disappears as below, leaving only Zoom In, and I can zoom out no further!


As per you, this is in the Library section, rather than the Collections section. ** unlike you, I don't have options saying years month or all.



I'm on 26.2.1


Pinch to zoom out, iPhone Photos app

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