Pinch to zoom out, iPhone Photos app

I’m going crazy that they removed such an important feature!

People who work with digital content have tens of thousands of photos. It was so convenient to work with the full zoom-out view.

I’m incredibly upset.

I already submitted official feedback there.

For me personally, the full zoom-out view was the only convenient way to work. I have more than 50,000 photos — I could quickly find what I needed and easily navigate through the years. Now it’s impossible.

It’s especially awful when you work with digital content. My workflow has basically turned into ****, because I need to find things within seconds.

doruk130 wrote: When will you fix this issue Apple? It’s really bad.

We are not Apple. We are users like you. As we've pointed out (over and over and over,) you can go ahead and let Apple know what you think at this site:

Feedback - Photos - Apple

Complaining here on this Community of Users site won't change anything.

stormycea wrote: … Maybe I don’t have enough photos in any of my albums for it to want to zoom out that much inside albums. My albums are pretty small compared to my main library.

I think you are right. I had been looking at a large aggregate album, it that's where I saw "many" across. But I just tried with more normal albums for which 5 across doesn't take up more than a couple of screens, and it doesn't do smaller thumbnails.

So I just linked this thread here and so if you get lots of redundant comments I apologize lol

Useful comments are always welcome!

It’s extremely frustrating that Apple dropped this pinch to zoom out functionality on the photos library. I regret updating to iOS26. Been an Apple (Mac and iPhone) consumer since 2008, this issue is one of many from iOS 26 that has actually made me consider exploring other options. Too much AI in the product development process or something? Apple seems to not care about user experience anymore. That used to be like their whole thing. Without good user experience, what is Apple? A shiny piece of metal, that functions at best the same as competitors?

fix the photos app. Rehire your old user experience people. So frustrating

My iPhone Pro Max on 26.2.1 does not allow more than 5 across in Library view, in either orientation. Albums will go only to 5 (7 horizontal), Trips to many more. Strange.

I'm having the same problem since the update to 26.2.1

you're not imagining it

As we've pointed out, it's 26.2.1 for everyone:

Go ahead and let Apple know what you think at this site:

Feedback - Photos - Apple

Having the same issue using the 26.2.1 version. I will turn off automatic update till apple give us back this feature I really don't know the reason to remove it because it was very useful.

I’m not able to do it in albums either. It still stays stuck in 5.

I did already send feedback.

As other users have said they reversed this in 26.3 so check your version and update it

What version of iOS are you using, triax12? This was fixed for most of us several releases ago, and iOS 26.5 is the most current release.

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?