Technologies

Unwanted Photos Keep Showing Up On My iPhone. What Gives?

There are some memories that I’d rather forget. Deleting everything I don’t want to see is a lot of work. There’s an easier way to prevent certain photos from showing up on iOS.

I’ve definitely opened my iPhone just to be hit in the face with photos of people or times that I’d just rather forget.

Apple wants to remind you of the good times you’ve had with featured photos and memories but this trip down nostalgia lane can backfire. These two iPhone features work together to create «featured content,» to highlight the moments you want to remember. Unfortunately, along with your favorite vacation with friends, you might also end up looking at photos of your ex.

The worst part is that featured content isn’t exclusive to the Photos app. Featured content appears across your device, like in the search page and on widgets on your home screen.

Don’t miss: How to Download iOS 26 Right Now

Having these unexpected photos randomly show up on your iPhone, especially if you’re showing something on your phone to someone, or someone else is using your phone, can become a headache … that you can luckily avoid.

If you want to stop unwanted photos from randomly appearing across your iPhone, here’s how to stop it.

While you’re here, check out all the new features coming on iOS 26 and how to disable the most annoying Apple Intelligence feature.

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You can show a person less frequently or not at all

If someone is featured pretty prominently across your photo library, iOS will consider them an important person in your life. That person will definitely show up in your memories and featured photos across your device. For most, it’s a joyous experience, reliving precious memories with your favorite people.

If things are not so precious anymore and you no longer talk to that person, you probably don’t want to see their face randomly pop up on your phone. Sure, you could go through your camera roll and scrub every photo and video with that person in it but that’s a lot of work. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to hide photos with a specific person.

To feature a person less frequently or not at all in memories, features photos and widgets, open the Photos app, find a photo or video with the person you want to show less often, tap the three-dot menu button in the top-right and then hit Feature This Person Less.

You can now choose from two options:

Feature This Person Less: You won’t see any individual photos or videos of this person in memories or featured photos, but if this person is in a group photo, those may still appear.
Never Feature This Person: You won’t see any photos or videos with this person, including group photos.

You can also completely disable memories and featured photos

Now, not everyone’s unexpected photo is going to be of an ex-spouse or former friend. An embarrassing photo of yourself or something borderline inappropriate might pop up on your phone somewhere, and if you’re worried about that happening, you might just want to get rid of memories and feature photos completely.

In the Settings app, go to Apps > Photos and toggle off Show Featured Content. This will stop all featured content across your device, including albums in the Photos app, widgets on your home screen and photos in search.

Other tips you can follow to prevent unexpected photos from showing up

What I’ve detailed above is a great start to prevent certain photos from appearing across your device, but you can do more, especially if the two tips don’t really do it for you.

Remove photos widgets from your lock and home screen. There is a photos widget that only shows featured photos, and that may end up being embarrassing or unwanted photos. Simply remove them from your phone, or choose a photo widget that isn’t a «featured» one.
Hide collections in the Photos app. Starting with iOS 18, you can now hide certain collections that may preview photos you don’t want to necessarily see. In Photos, go to Customize & Reorder and check off the collections you want to hide. These collections include Recent Days, People & Pets, Trips and more. If you have featured content disabled, you’ll notice that some collections are grayed out.
Turn off holiday memories. If you don’t want to see memories of recent holiday events, like Christmas or Thanksgiving, you can go to Settings > Apps > Photos and toggle off Show Holiday Events.
Stop photos from appearing in search. If you type something into search, you may see photos appear. You can stop this from happening by going to Settings > Apps > Photos and toggling off Show App in Search and Show Content in Search.
Don’t choose a featured wallpaper on your lock screen. On iOS 18, you can have featured photos appear as your lock screen, changing through the day. Choose any other wallpaper than the featured photos wallpaper to avoid unwanted photos from appearing on your lock screen.

If you want to learn more about iOS, check out how to get more iPhone storage with these two tips and why the iPhone 16 camera control button is also a secret action button.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, June 28

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for June 28.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s Saturday, so it’s extra-long, and might take you a while. Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Detachable parts of a dress form
Answer: ARMS

5A clue: Catering container containing caffeine
Answer: TEARUN

8A clue: Climbing structure offered in pet stores
Answer: CATTREE

9A clue: Gets into town
Answer: ARRIVES

10A clue: Frédéric Chopin or Ray Charles, notably
Answer: PIANIST

11A clue: They don’t hold water
Answer: SIEVES

12A clue: ___-jerk reaction
Answer: KNEE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: With some chance of failure
Answer: ATARISK

2D clue: Prepare for a new job, maybe
Answer: RETRAIN

3D clue: Midday Broadway showing
Answer: MATINEE

4D clue: Goal of a noted reality show set on an island
Answer: SURVIVE

6D clue: Witherspoon who portrayed June Carter in «Walk the Line»
Answer: REESE

7D clue: Lodgings for larks
Answer: NESTS

8D clue: Souvenir from a baseball game
Answer: CAP

Technologies

Facing Billions in DMA Fines, Apple Lets EU iPhone Users Install Apps Outside the App Store

A last-minute rule change lets European iPhone owners download apps from rival stores and developer websites, while introducing new fees that Apple hopes will satisfy regulators in Brussels.

In a scramble to sidestep penalties that could soar into the billions, and with Brussels regulators watching closely, Apple has agreed to let Europeans download iPhone apps from outside its own App Store.

With just hours left before an EU compliance deadline, the company said residents of the 27-nation bloc will soon be able to grab apps from rival marketplaces or straight off a developer’s website. The change rolls out later this year with iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6, and also lets users set a different browser engine and choose a third-party wallet at checkout.

For everyday EU iPhone owners, that means the download button could pop up in more places than just Apple’s storefront. After you select the new setting, iOS shows a one-time permission sheet confirming you’re leaving Apple’s marketplace. The app then passes a quick notarization scan meant to weed out malware. Apple notes that off-store downloads work only inside the EU, and disappear if you stay outside the bloc for more than 30 days.

Cost to developers

Developers do gain fresh distribution freedom, but there’s a price tag. A new two-tier Store Services fee asks for 5% of outside sales in exchange for basic services like app reviews and support in what’s called Tier 1, or 13% for the full bundle of perks, including automatic updates and App Store promotions in Tier 2.

Apple will take a 5% «Core Technology Commission» on any purchase made outside its own payment system. That new cut will phase out the current €0.50-per-download fee and become the sole charge across the EU when a unified pricing model arrives on Jan. 1, 2026.

Apple insists «more than 99%» of devs will pay the same or less under the revamped math.

Why now?

In April, the European Commission fined Apple €500 million ($585 million) for blocking developers from steering users to cheaper payment options, and warned that daily penalties of up to 5% of global revenue could follow if it failed to comply.

Throughout the back-and-forth, Apple has accused the commission of «moving the goalposts» on what counts as compliance, with a spokesperson saying the company has invested «hundreds of thousands of hours» to meet the EU’s evolving demands.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney blasted the 5% tier as a «malicious compliance scheme» that «makes a mockery of fair competition.»

If regulators decide Apple still hasn’t gone far enough, the iPhone maker could face steeper sanctions, or even be forced to separate its App Store business.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for June 27, #1469

Here are hints — and the answer — for today’s Wordle No. 1,469 for June 27. Some players need a new starter word now.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle isn’t too tough, but somehow, it has a starting letter I never seem to guess. Some posters on Reddit say it was one of their starter words, so now they’re in the market for a new way to begin the game. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

There are two vowels in today’s Wordle answer.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with P.

Wordle hint No. 4: Placement

The two vowels are next to each other.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to something that is not decorated and is simple.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is PLAIN.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, June 26, No. 1468 was OFFER.

Recent Wordle answers

June 22, No. 1464: THRUM

June 23, No. 1465: ODDLY

June 24, No. 1466: ELITE

June 25, No. 1467: COMFY

Will Wordle run out of words?

When Wordle began, creator Josh Wardle used a list of five-letter words he’d shared with his partner, picking only the words they recognized. While that’s more than 2,000 words, more than half of them have already been used.

Wordle editor Tracy Bennett admitted that the game will eventually have to come to grips with the fact that the word list is not eternal.

«One possibility is that we could recycle old words at some point, like when we get close to the end,» Bennett told a Wordle player on TikTok.

She also said the editors might throw all the words back in and reuse them, or allow plurals, or past tense, something that’s not done now.