LWM 18 - Apple iPhone, Mac Updates & More

January 30, 2026

In this episode of Live with Mollie, I’m tackling one of my favorite (and sometimes most frustrating) topics: Apple updates and what they really mean for your photos. From unexpected tech hiccups during the live show to a deep dive into iOS 26, this episode is a very real look at how technology changes and how we can keep up without losing our sanity.

I walk through what’s new in the iPhone Photos app, including the redesigned Library vs. Collections view, AI-generated groupings, search improvements, and long-overdue organizing upgrades like dragging albums into folders. We also talk honestly about syncing issues, iCloud storage confusion, and why Apple updates don’t always roll out smoothly (even when you do everything “right”).

As always, viewer questions guide much of the conversation. We cover important topics like optimized iPhone storage, whether you really need a Mac if you use an iPhone, what to do when cloud services shut down photo storage, and why paying attention to emails from tech companies can save your photos from disappearing.

We also dig into scanning questions Photomyne vs. traditional scanners, discontinued Epson models, and what options still make sense today, as well as free photo viewers for Windows users preparing to move photos to a new system.

If Apple updates leave you feeling overwhelmed, or you’ve ever wondered where your photos really live, this episode will help you feel more confident, informed, and in control.

0:00 Welcome & Real-Life Tech Troubles (Because It Happens!)
1:30 Why This Episode Focuses on iOS 26 & Photo Updates
3:07 Welcome to Live with Mollie – January Check-In
5:20 Announcements: Photo Organizing Cruise & Upcoming Guest
6:48 Preview: Next Week’s Guest Andrea Simpson (Photo App Founder)
7:55 Why Apple Jumped from iOS 18 to iOS 26
10:36 Overview: New iPhone Photos App Layout
11:00 Library vs. Collections Explained
11:26 Syncing Paused & iCloud Storage Confusion
12:22 Sorting Photos by Date Captured vs. Recently Added
13:00 Filters, “Photos Not in an Album,” & AI Features
14:24 Sharing vs. Organizing from the Share Icon
15:32 Zooming, Navigation & Overall App Feel
15:57 Searching Photos by Name, Place & Objects
17:27 Why You Can’t Remove Photos from the Library View
18:15 Inside Collections: Memories, Pinned, People, Pets & Maps
19:30 AI-Generated Trips & System-Created Collections
20:22 Customizing Collections & Reordering Views
21:52 Editing Pinned Collections
22:47 Albums vs. Folders on iPhone
24:23 New Feature: Dragging Albums into Folders
25:21 Q&A: Are These Features iPhone-Only?
26:41 Optimized iPhone Storage Explained (Important!)
27:58 How to Download Full-Resolution Photos to a PC
28:59 iPhone + PC vs. iPhone + Mac: What’s Best?
30:48 Why PCs Offer More Control for Photo Organizing
32:15 Q&A: Amazon Photos & iCloud Storage Confusion
34:09 How to Free Up iCloud Storage Safely
36:03 AT&T Photo Storage Shutdown Warning
37:39 Why You Must Read Emails About Photo Storage
38:48 Getting Photos Off CDs & DVDs
41:15 Troubleshooting Discs That Won’t Open
43:36 Q&A: Free Photo Viewers for Windows (IrfanView & Adobe Bridge)
45:23 Q&A: Photomyne App vs. Traditional Scanners
46:41 Comparing Scan Quality: App vs. Scanner
48:07 Epson Scanner Discontinuations & What That Means
49:35 When Shipping Photos for Scanning Makes Sense
52:21 Technology Is Moving Fast—Why Photos Need Attention Now
53:05 Pix Community, Final Encouragement & Wrap-Up

LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE

Learn More About The Pix Plan www.thepixplan.com
Pix Plan Photo Organizing Cruise https://www.thepixplan.com/cruise
Forever Storage & Digitization https://www.forever.com
PhotoMyne App https://photomyne.com
Adobe Bridge https://www.adobe.com/products/bridge.html
IrfanView (Free Windows Photo Viewer) https://www.irfanview.com

Submit questions for future episodes email: [email protected]

Watch Episode 18 on YouTube - https://youtube.com/live/NTCMXvV_LKg

Cheers,
Mollie

Episode Transcript

Good evening everybody. I am in the middle of a technology challenge, and it’s just fitting that this would happen on an evening when I really want to show you the update on the iPhone. Those of you who have iPhones may have updated your operating system to iOS 26, and I actually think it’s a pretty great update, but I have no way right now to share my phone with you.

I’m going to just try one more thing, so bear with me while I figure out if I can connect my phone through the streaming service here. In the meantime, I totally invite you to say hi in the comments and maybe tell us where you’re from. And if you have a question this evening, because that’s what Live With Mollie is all about.

It’s just trying to maneuver this life and save our photos and deal with the technology issues that we have. So my goal tonight was to share my iPhone and show you what you can do with the Photos app, because the latest updates—I’m actually enjoying using them—and I would like for you to be able to see that.

And we’re going to just try one more little login on my phone and we’ll see if I can join the live stream this way. So brace yourself. I’m going to try logging into my live stream, and who knows what will happen with the sound. So stick with me.

And I so appreciate you sharing in my technology difficulty. That way you know you are not the only one who might have a chance challenge with issues. So let’s just see here. I’m in the stream myself. I would need to make sure I can share my screen from my phone. Otherwise, we’re going to do something else.

All right. Welcome to Live With Mollie. It is January 29th, 2026, and I believe we are almost done with one whole month of this year.

Oh, there is the sound. When it rains, it pours on me. My little microphone has a mute button on top, and how I keep hitting that, I don’t know. I apologize. Thanks for pointing that out.

We’re in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I think we’re going on 30 days now of frigid cold weather, and I’m tired of it. Unfortunately, in a couple weeks my friend Krista and I are headed off on our cruise to the Bahamas, and I definitely need some sunshine.

Just a quick announcement. Next week, Thursday, February 5th, I’m excited to welcome Andrea Simpson. She is the founder of a photo saving app. It’s more than just saving pictures—it’s like a diary, allowing you to bring photos, audio, and video together. She reached out, and I thought it would be interesting to talk with her because there are people who really care about providing solutions for saving our photos.

Now we’re going to go through the new iPhone update. Right now the iPhone is running iOS 26. If you haven’t updated yet, I think now is a safe time. iOS 26 actually came out in September of last year. Initially, it was not well received, but I was surprised when I upgraded my phone last week and thought it was okay.

Apple is trying to align the operating system names across devices and match the year they’re mostly used in. That’s why we now have iOS 26 and macOS 26 Tahoe.

We’re going to start in the Photos app. The update now separates the bottom into Library and Collections. It used to all be on one page, but now you can switch back and forth, which I really like.

You’ll also see a message that says syncing paused. Even though I have space in iCloud, it keeps prompting me to buy more storage, so there may still be some glitches.

At the top of the Library view, there are three lines you can tap to sort by recently added or by date captured. This is helpful if photos seem to disappear when someone shares older images with you.

You can also filter photos by type, including a new option for photos not in an album. While I don’t usually recommend organizing photos directly on your iPhone, some people do choose to save all their family photos there, and this feature helps.

When you tap Select, you can choose multiple photos and then use the Share icon. This is about more than sharing—it’s also about organizing. You can save to places like Dropbox or upload directly to services like Forever.

The Library view always contains everything: photos, screenshots, videos. You can filter items out, but you can’t remove them unless you delete them.

The other main area is Collections. This view is customizable. It includes things like Memories, Pinned items, People and Pets, Trips, and system-generated groupings created by AI.

You can collapse or expand sections, reorder them, and customize what appears in your pinned area. Albums, on the other hand, are things you’ve created yourself over time.

Albums can be organized into folders. You can now drag albums into folders, which is a newer and very helpful feature.

If you optimize storage on your iPhone, only thumbnails are stored locally. Full-resolution photos live in iCloud. If your phone is optimized, you won’t be able to copy full photos directly to a PC via USB—you’ll need to download them through iCloud.

We also talked about photo storage questions, including Amazon Photos and iCloud storage limits. I don’t recommend using multiple cloud services at once because it can get confusing. The best option is to clear space in iCloud by removing large videos that are already backed up elsewhere.

We discussed discontinued photo storage services, like AT&T and Samsung backups, and how important it is to pay attention to emails warning you to retrieve your photos before deadlines.

We also covered issues with CDs and DVDs that won’t copy photos. Remember, you copy photos from discs—you don’t download them. Sometimes discs are blank or unreadable, and trying another drive or computer can help.

For viewing photos on an older Windows PC, free viewers like IrfanView can help. Adobe Bridge is another option if you have a Creative Cloud subscription.

We talked about scanning options, including apps like PhotoMyne versus flatbed scanners like the Epson V600. While scanning apps can work in a pinch, dedicated scanners generally capture better color and detail. Unfortunately, many scanners have been discontinued, making equipment harder to find.

Technology changes fast, and it can be frustrating to keep up. That’s why staying on top of your photos and working on them a little at a time is so important.

Thank you all so much for joining me this evening. I’ll see you next week with Andrea Simpson. Take care, and we’ll see you next time. Bye-bye.

LWM 18 - Apple iPhone, Mac Updates & More

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