Apple has finally allowed me to rate my photos, and I can't get enough of it.

      As a hobbyist photographer, I tend to capture several images of the same scene so I can select the best one later. The downside is that I end up sorting through hundreds of photos weekly. Adobe Lightroom and other popular photo editing software allow you to rate photos, making the process of filtering your images much easier. This is one of the reasons I continue to pay for Lightroom Classic.

      While this method is effective for the pictures I take with my camera, it doesn’t apply to my iPhone photos since I rarely export them and they remain in my iCloud library. Therefore, I was thrilled to discover that the iOS 27 developer beta includes a hidden setting that introduces a similar feature to the iPhone Photos app.

      How to activate and use the star rating feature

      In the initial developer beta of iOS 27, this feature is disabled by default. To activate it, open the Photos app and navigate to the Collections tab. Next, tap the profile icon in the top-right corner, scroll down, and turn on the toggle for “Show Rating Controls.”

      Once you activate this toggle, open any photo to find a star icon with a drop-down menu in the top-right corner. Tap it to expand and then rate the photo with 1 to 5 stars.

      You can also rate multiple photos simultaneously. Just select all the photos you want to rate with the same star value, tap the three-dot menu, and use the Rating option to assign your ratings.

      Honestly, this may be a minor feature, but it has significantly enhanced my photo sorting experience on the iPhone.

      You've rated your photos; what’s next?

      At this point, you might be wondering, "I have painstakingly rated my photos, but what's next?" Well, here’s the exciting part. You can filter your library based on the number of stars assigned to your photos.

      For instance, if I only want to see the top-rated photos that I marked with five stars, I can easily do that. To filter photos, go to the Library tab and tap the filter button in the top-right corner. Select the Rating option and choose the rating you want to filter by.

      Since I selected five stars, it displays all the photos I have rated with five stars.

      Why this simple feature matters to me

      It may seem odd to be so enthusiastic about a star rating toggle, but for me, it addresses a problem I have dealt with for years. My iPhone library has often been cluttered with nearly identical shots, making it a challenge to identify the keepers.

      I also appreciate that it aligns my iPhone workflow more closely with my Lightroom workflow. Now, I can rate my best iPhone pictures, filter them in seconds, and quickly locate the ones worth editing or sharing. If it remains available post-beta, it will undoubtedly become one of my favorite minor updates this year.