PhotoKit

Work with the photos and videos in a person's library, with their permission.

Read the documentation WWDC sessions

Introduced

2014

iOS 8

Kind

Framework

Runs on

Get it from

iOS

8.0+

iPadOS

8.0+

Mac Catalyst

13.1+

macOS

10.11+

tvOS

10.0+

visionOS

1.0+

watchOS

10.0+

Works in Swift Playground ›

Overview

PhotoKit lets apps read and edit the Photos library: fetch assets and albums, apply non-destructive edits, observe changes and save new content.

For most apps the Photos picker is the place to start. It runs out of process, so people choose exactly what to share and your app needs no library permission.

Photos picker

Let people choose photos without library access.

Library access

Fetch assets and albums with permission.

Edits

Non-destructive adjustments that sync everywhere.

Change history

Know what changed since you last looked.

AvatarPicker.swift

import PhotosUI
import SwiftUI

struct AvatarPicker: View {
    @State private var selection: PhotosPickerItem?
    @State private var image: Image?

    var body: some View {
        PhotosPicker("Choose photo", selection: $selection, matching: .images)
            .onChange(of: selection) {
                Task {
                    image = try? await selection?.loadTransferable(type: Image.self)
                }
            }
    }
}

History