SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 19, 2026, 01:57 (PST)
- Apple’s Photos app in iOS 26 can identify concerts and sports events and surface event details alongside images
- The feature adds a ticket-style button on matched photos and can label Memories with the event name
- Apple says concert pages can link out to Apple Music playlists and upcoming shows, drawing on third-party concert data
Apple’s Photos app in iOS 26 can now recognize when an iPhone user has been to a concert or sporting event and pull up event details — including set lists and scoreboards — alongside the images, Apple-focused site 9to5Mac reported on Sunday. The feature adds a ticket-style button to matching photos and can label Apple’s auto-generated “Memories” after the specific event, the report said. (9to5Mac)
The change underscores a shift in where Apple is putting its software effort. Photos is no longer just a place to store pictures — it is becoming a hub that connects images to music, sports, and event information already sitting in Apple’s services ecosystem.
That matters as smartphone makers push harder on “sticky” default apps. The more often users open Photos to relive a night out — and the more useful the app feels without extra downloads — the harder it is to switch platforms or move daily habits elsewhere.
Apple has described the feature as part of a broader iOS 26 update to Photos. In a published feature list, Apple said Photos can show details of events like concerts and sports “right in the Info panel” — the screen that appears when you swipe up on a photo to view details like date and location — and then offer options like listening to top songs from the artist or tour, viewing a final score, or browsing upcoming events. (Apple)
For concerts, Apple’s Apple Music for Artists portal says photos and videos linked to a show can display a ticket icon that opens a concert event page inside Photos. Those pages can include event details, featured Apple Music playlists, and upcoming shows, while “Set List playlists” — playlists built around the songs played during a show — can be matched to concert dates supplied by Bandsintown or Ticketmaster, Apple said. (Apple)
Apple’s iPhone user guide frames the capability as part of the information attached to a photo. The company says users can view saved metadata — the underlying details stored with an image, such as date, time, and location — by swiping up or tapping the Info button, and that the panel may include event information for photos and videos taken at concerts or sporting events. (Apple Support)
The idea is not entirely new, but Apple is tightening the experience. Federico Viticci, founder and editor-in-chief of MacStories, wrote that Photos has long tapped an event database, and that iOS 26 builds a more integrated event page around recognized concerts and games. “It’s unclear what database of events Apple is using, but it seems like only bigger events are understood,” he wrote. (MacStories)
Rivals have been working the same ground for years. Google’s Photos service and other gallery apps already lean on automated grouping and search to keep users scrolling through old albums and resurfaced highlights.
But the feature is only as good as the match. In hands-on testing last year, Tom’s Guide managing editor Philip Michaels wrote that sports event pages could be thin, with some games showing no score data and “Upcoming Events” listings that were missing or broadly irrelevant, and he said event information appeared limited to major leagues. (Tom’s Guide)
Apple previewed iOS 26 at its annual developer conference in June 2025 as part of a push for a new system design and expanded Apple Intelligence features. “iOS 26 shines with the gorgeous new design and meaningful improvements,” Apple software chief Craig Federighi said at the time. (Apple)
iOS 26 became available to iPhone users in September 2025, Apple said, as part of its annual operating system rollout that also brought updates to iPad, Mac, Watch and Apple TV software. (Apple)
