iOS 18.4 is currently being beta tested, and it packs a ton of new features and changes. Among those updates are some easy-to-miss changes to Apples Photos app that give users more flexibility and options than before. Here are the details on iOS 18.4s Photos enhancements.#1: New filtering optionsWhenever youre viewing a collection of photos and/or videos, you may have noticed that the Photos app shows an icon in the lower-left corner with two vertical arrows.Behind this arrow icon youll find various sort, filter, and view options.In iOS 18.4, there are two new additions to the Filter menu. You can now filter by:Shared With YouNot in an AlbumFilters make it easy to find all photos or videos that fit a specific description. So in this case, you can filter to only see items that others have shared with you, or ones that arent yet sorted into an album.Additionally, if you tap the Albums button then the three-dot icon in the top-right corner, youll see new filter options there too. These additions let you filter to only show Albums or only show Folders.#2: New album sorting optionSpeaking of the Albums screen, iOS 18.4 now lets you sort that view in a new way too.Joining the existing Sort by Name and Sort by Custom Order options, theres a third sorting method available for your Albums screen:Sort by Date ModifiedThis will rearrange your albums and folders to bump the most recently changed ones to the top.The Albums screen has another change worth noting briefly: Grid and List have been renamed to List View and Key Photo. This change doesnt make a functional difference, and to me it reads as more confusing, so its unclear why Apples changing things.#3: Disabling albums for privacyThere are a couple albums included by default in the Photos app that you may or may not want visible for privacy reasons.No, Im not talking about the Hidden album. Though that album certainly has its own privacy implications, Im referring to two others:Recently ViewedRecently SharedLike their names imply, these albums collect all the photos and videos that you last looked at, or last shared with someone else.Id guess that for most users, they wont have a problem keeping these albums visible in the Photos app. But for anyone whofor privacy reasons or otherwisewant to disable them, iOS 18.4 adds a new Settings toggle to do just that.You can find this toggle by visiting Settings Apps Photos then scrolling down to find Show Recently Viewed & Shared. Its right below where you can also disable the Hidden album.#4: Bulk recover or delete photosIf youve ever wanted to quickly, easily remove all your deleted photos and videos permanently, iOS 18.4 now provides that option.Open the Recently Deleted album and youll find a new trash can button that will remove all items permanently.On the flip side, you can also use the new Recover All button if you want to quickly add all deleted items back into your Photos library.Were any of these iOS 18.4 Photos updates on your wish list? What other changes do you hope to see? Let us know in the comments.Best iPhone accessoriesAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel