Apple patents photo app that auto-groups pictures by people and events
Apple describes a system that automatically creates collections of photos based on who is in them or what event they are from. The interface lets users swipe to see details about a specific photo and tap on a person’s name to view all events they attended together.
In the filing’s own words
The present disclosure generally relates to retrieving and displaying contextually-relevant media content. In some embodiments, a device receives a request to display contextually-relevant media and, in response, displays a representation of a collection of media items relevant to a context of the device. In some embodiments, a device displays a visual media item of a sequence of items and, in response to receiving a swipe gesture, displays a detail user interface comprising related content for the media item. In some embodiments, a device, while displaying a first detail user interface, displays an affordance corresponding to a plurality of individuals identified as having attended a first event, that when selected, causes display of visual media corresponding to a plurality of events attended by the individuals. In some embodiments, a device, in response to user input, obtains an automatically-generated collection of visual media and displays a corresponding affordance.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A computer system that is configured to communicate with a display and one or more input devices, the computer system comprising: one or more processors; and memory storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for: displaying, via the display, a respective user interface that includes a plurality of affordances corresponding to a plurality of automatically-generated collections of visual media; after displaying the plurality of affordances corresponding to the plurality of automatically-generated collections of visual media, detecting a sequence of one or more inputs that includes receiving, via the one or more input devices, a first user input that is directed to the respective user interface that includes the plurality of affordances; in response to detecting the sequence of one or more inputs: obtaining an automatically-generated first collection of visual media that was not previously included in the plurality of automatically-generated collections of visual media, distinct from each of the collections of the plurality of automatically-generated collections of visual media; and adding, to the plurality of affordances displayed, via the display, a first affordance corresponding to the automatically-generated first collection of visual media; while displaying the first affordance corresponding to the automatically-generated first collection of visual media, receiving, via the one or more input devices, a second user input corresponding to selection of the first affordance; and in response to receiving the second user input, displaying, via the display, a detail user interface that includes a representation of the automatically-generated first collection of visual media.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- USER INTERFACES FOR RETRIEVING CONTEXTUALLY RELEVANT MEDIA CONTENT
- Publication number
- US20260277377A1
- Application number
- 19671026
- Filed
- May 7, 2026
- Published
- Sep 17, 2026
- Inventors
- 9
- Claims
- 15
Classified under
G06F 3/0481 Physics & computingG06F 3/03547 Physics & computingG06F 3/04817 Physics & computingG06F 3/04842 Physics & computingG06F 3/04883 Physics & computingG06F 3/04886 Physics & computingMore from Apple in AI & software
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.