DB LabsDB Labs

Updated April 7, 2026

By Jack Smith, iOS Developer at DB Labs

How-To

How to Set Up a Smart Album on iPhone Photos

iOS doesn't have built-in Smart Albums like macOS, but there are three ways to get the same auto-updating album behavior on your iPhone.

April 7, 2026  ·  5 min read

Quick Answer

iOS Photos does not natively support Smart Albums, but there are three workarounds. Option 1: Create Smart Albums on a Mac in macOS Photos — they sync to iPhone via iCloud Photos and update automatically. Option 2: Use the iOS Shortcuts app to create an automation that filters photos by criteria and adds them to a regular album on a schedule. Option 3: Use the built-in Media Types auto-albums (Selfies, Screenshots, Live Photos, Portrait, etc.) which act as ready-made Smart Albums.

Method 1: Create on Mac, Sync to iPhone

1 Open Photos on Mac

On your Mac, launch Photos. Make sure you are signed in with the same Apple ID as your iPhone and iCloud Photos is enabled on both devices.

2 Create the Smart Album

From the menu bar, click File > New Smart Album. Give it a name (for example, "2024 Selfies"). Set criteria like Date Captured is in the year 2024, Photo > is > selfie, etc. Click OK.

3 Wait for iCloud Sync

The Smart Album syncs to iPhone automatically within a few minutes. On iPhone, open Photos > Albums, scroll to My Albums, and look for the Smart Album you created. It updates automatically as new photos match the criteria.

Method 2: Shortcuts Automation

4 Open Shortcuts App

Launch the Shortcuts app on iPhone. Tap + to create a new shortcut. Tap Add Action.

5 Add Find Photos Action

Search for and tap Find Photos. Configure filters such as Date Taken is in the last 7 days, Album is Recents, or Is Selfie is true. Add multiple filters with +.

6 Add to Album

After Find Photos, add the action Add to Album and select your target album. Save the shortcut. To run it automatically, go to the Automation tab and create a time-based or event-based trigger (for example, daily at 11 PM).

Method 3: Built-in Media Type Albums

iOS automatically creates Smart-Album-like collections under Albums > Media Types. These include Selfies, Live Photos, Portrait, Panoramas, Time-lapse, Slo-mo, Bursts, Screenshots, Screen Recordings, and Animated. They update automatically and require no setup.

Pro tip: Combine Method 1 (Mac Smart Album) with iCloud Shared Library so multiple family members see the same auto-updating album. Smart Album criteria can include keywords, ratings, descriptions, and faces, which makes Mac Smart Albums far more powerful than the iPhone's built-in albums.

For comprehensive photo organization, consider Swype Photo Cleaner to clean up before organizing, plus our guides on creating photo albums, merging albums, and iPhone photo album organization.

Clean Before You Organize

Smart Albums are most useful when your library is clean. Swype Photo Cleaner removes blurry, duplicate, and unwanted photos fast.

Free · iPhone · iOS 16+

Download on theApp Store

Frequently Asked Questions

Does iPhone Photos have Smart Albums?

Not directly. macOS Photos has Smart Albums; iOS does not. However, Smart Albums created on Mac sync to iPhone via iCloud and update automatically.

Can I create a Smart Album on iPhone with Shortcuts?

Yes. The Shortcuts app can filter photos by date, location, album, or media type and add them to a regular album automatically.

What are Media Types albums on iPhone?

Auto-generated albums under Albums > Media Types — Selfies, Live Photos, Portrait, Panoramas, Time-lapse, Slo-mo, Bursts, Screenshots, and more.