Photos app zoom out limited after iOS 26.2.1 update

Hi everyone,

since updating to iOS 26.2.1, I’m having an issue with the Photos app and I’m not sure if it’s a bug or a setting I’m missing.

When I open Photos on the main screen (not the Albums section, but the initial view where all photos are displayed), I can no longer zoom out as much as before.

Previously, I was able to pinch and make the photos much smaller, even to the point of seeing almost an entire year of photos on one screen.

Now, however, the photos always stay quite large. Pinching only allows me to zoom in more, but not zoom out further.

I’ve also tried changing the view filters / display options, but nothing lets me reduce the size of the thumbnails like before.

Has anyone experienced the same issue?

Is this a known change or bug in iOS 26.2.1, or is there a way to restore the previous zoom levels?

Thanks in advance for any help!