Get Ready for iPadOS 27 and iOS27

iOS 27 hatches on Monday September 14, 2026. Don't rush out and update. Read about the changes and look for what will impact your photography workflow. 

One Of my favorite YouTubers is Ellen and her videos are great guides for many techniques for mobile devices. The latest 7 Things to Do Before You Update might be your first introduction to her channel. 

Also, Dan Fox has posted Updated Photos App: New Features You're Missing to his YouTube Channel. This is a new channel for me, but other YouTubers recommended in the past will also have new reports.  

There are a combination of elements to consider before you update, maybe it is time to clean house. Here is my approach. Two years ago I bought three SSDs, external solid-state-drives of the same size and brand. If not now, then soon: Organize your files into folders and copy to the three drives. One drive stays with you and is will be used to offload documents. Ask a family member or trusted neighbor to keep a drive off-site in case something happens to the original at home. The third drive should go to your bank safe deposit box or a safe out-of-town location. Ideally, you rotate these drives 3 or 4 times a year to keep up with important documents and images. On your Mac computer make sure your TimeMachine is running a daily backup. Also, you want to backup for devices to iCloud daily and just before you migrate to a new device. 

1. Look at your current device for the storage and available space. 
2. Look at your current Apple iCloud subscription and available space. 
3. Are you optimizing images? Settings > Apple Account > iCloud > Photos > Optimize iPhone Storage … also for iPad Storage. 
4. Look for big files, remember that 1 GB = 1,024 MB, and move big files to external storage drives and delete to free up space on your devices or in iCloud. Settings > Apple Account > iCloud > Drive > Manage Storage > Review and Delete Large Files (after saving the files to external SSD). First, find the GB sized files and note the names and locations then decide if you can move to external SSD or if you need to keep the files handy on-device. 
5. In the Photos app, videos take up more space, off-load to SSD when possible. Are you shooting in Live mode most often? This takes up more storage, consider turning it off and using sparingly. 
6. Newer iPhone Camera apps can shoot at 48MP and in RAW. Assess if you need these pro features on all the time or just for special occasions -- especially if you are not editing your photos often. 
7. Assess whether you need to raise your iCloud+ subscription level and pay more but stress less. 

Shared Albums Are Great Until iPadOS 27

Long ago Apple Photos app introduced Shared Albums for Apple devices. This was a fabulous way to share photos with others by-invitation. The originator got to decide if invitees could also comment, like or upload their photos to the album. Another option was to make albums public and invite non-Apple devices to view the album via a web browser. The images were optimized and did not count against your iCloud storage. Until now. 

Shared - is a loose term in my experience. Yes, I have invited many people to see and share images in Shared Albums but I have also used this feature to just keep track of my stuff. Reference photos that did not have to go into my Library and Camera Roll. Some of my image groupings have titles like Shopping (what did I just buy? Make a screenshot and stuff it in this album until delivery), Local Contractors (photos of trucks and vans I see on morning walks that are bringing services to my neighbors), Online Classes (what activities am I signed up for that might come up again next year), MPIX (the online print service I use that have various 3-day sales during the year - I can plan on printing at the best sale price), Home Maintenance (photos of tasks around the yard and home), iPadOS 27 Prep (screenshots of current apps that might change when I complete the next OS update). 

In iPadOS/iOS 27 the rules have changed. New Shared Albums will have the full resolution of photos and count against your iCloud Storage subscription. We will wait and see if old Shared Albums remain under previous rules and cost structure. I have some old albums that are not useful/needed anymore. I will save them to practice on with this next OS update. 

RenSoc Fall 2026 Catalog is out

The new semester is approaching at a fast speed. by this time by this time next month we will have completed our second in-person class. 

Remember this experiment was designed as a two-semester commitment to do iPad art. You will not see our class listed in the fall '26 catalog because our workshop enrollment is "closed" to new participants. When you go to enroll on 8/17 or later a search for "Procreate" will bring up our class: Procreate iPad + Pencil Art Workshop. Everyone goes on the waitlist at first and then I change your status to "enrolled".