Apple

How to change your Apple Photos Memories preferences

Sometimes, things are better left in the past. Here’s how to adjust your Apple Photos Memories.

by
Krima Desai
September 26, 2021

Image: Unsplash

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It seems like every product that includes pictures wants to remind you of the past. While that can be great for certain things, sometimes those memories are less than desirable and can completely ruin your mood.

Apple is one such company that features a Memories option with things like the iPhone and Mac computers. If you would prefer to not be reminded of the past, there’s thankfully a way to do that. Sort of.

Sadly, it’s not a completely fix-all solution, but it can still help show less content regarding certain places or people. Follow our quick guides below if this is something you think you’d like to do.

How to stop seeing so many Memories on iPhone and Mac

Apple offers varying levels of control over the Memories feature, depending on what iOS version you are using. However, even if you’ve got an older device, you should still be able to make the needed modifications using a Mac.

Using iOS 14 devices

So, let’s start with devices that are running iOS 14:

When you’re presented with a memory that you’d rather forget, long-press the content until the contextual menu appears. Once this happens, select Suggest Fewer Memories Like This. Doing so will let the algorithm know that it has made a mistake.

Another option is to go to Photos then the For You section. Once you see content that you don’t want Memories to present you with, long-press it and repeat the method from above.

You can also disable notifications for Memories. To do this, go to Settings, select Notifications, then Photos. From here, tap on Memories and turn off the Allow Notifications toggle.

If you want to avoid seeing Memories altogether, be sure to also disable any widgets that you may have added to your iPhone’s screen.

There you go! Thankfully, you have some options for seeing fewer memories on iOS 14.

Using iOS 15 devices

Once you’ve updated your devices to iOS 15, you will have more control over the Memories feature. This will allow you to choose certain people that you do not want to appear in your Memories.

From the Photos app, go to Albums, and then to People. Tap on the person that you want to eliminate from your Memories suggestions.
Tap on the menu icon (three-dot symbol) and choose your desired option.
The Feature This Person Less is self-explanatory. However, if you press Remove This Person From People, you will have to reset the entire album, clearing it of all names.

Using a Mac

Changing your Memories preferences using a Mac is also straight-forward:

Right-click on the content that you’d like to avoid and select Suggest Fewer Memories Like This.
You can also disable notifications, by going to the Preferences menu of the Photos app. Once there, click on General and then uncheck the box next to Show Memories Notification.

There you have it! The best ways to minimize the Memories feature on iOS 14 and 15, as well as Mac computers!

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